We signed the papers, and it was official. As we walked outside to the surprise of rain and a champagne toast on the sidewalk, Peter and I were now civilly married (a courtesy of German law that calls for a separate ceremony from our sacramental wedding).
One of the implications of this simple, thirty-minute act that took place in a Berlin courthouse was that I now had a right to Peter’s inheritance. What belonged to Peter, passed down to him by his father, was now mine as well.
As beloved sons and daughters of God, we, too, have an inheritance. What belongs to Christ—that which was given to Him by His Father—now belongs to us. The most relevant gift is the love that has been eternally given and received between the Father and the Son: the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was promised to us by Christ when we were reminded that we would never be orphaned (John 14:18), that we would never be alone (John 14:16), and that we would be abundantly cared for and remembered (Luke 12:7). To know what belongs to us is to know our identity as sons and daughters of the very best Father; one we could not have dreamt up. This inheritance became ours on the day of our Baptism as Peter’s became mine on the day of our civil marriage.
Whether we were tiny babies or grown up big kids on that glorious day of our Baptism, our memory of what happened (or the lack of it) does not affect God’s memory of us.
We have not escaped His notice.
The Lord sees us, even those parts of us that we are ashamed of: the secrets we wish could stay hidden and the dark places we pray would not see the light of day. Yet, for these moments especially, the Holy Spirit was gifted to us. He is the ever-present memory of all of the Father’s goodness and intentions revealed to us in Christ.
May we remember often our inheritance, sisters, and live from our identity that we may exist “for the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12).
We have not escaped His notice. // Rocio PerezClick to tweet
Let us pray the Come, Holy Spirit prayer together as a community today.
Rocio Hermes is a Dominican-born, US-raised, stay-at-home mom who is excited about building community, baking desserts, and writing poetry. She holds a Master’s degree in Theology and has lived in Ethiopia as a missionary. Rocio now lives in Israel with her German husband and their son. She is a contributing author to Blessed Conversations: Dwell as well as Teaching Author on Blessed Conversations: Gift, a Study on the Eucharist. You can read more from her at graceandmercyblog.com.
Rocío Hermes es una mama de casa nacida en República Dominicana y criada en Estados Unidos, a quien le entusiasma construir una comunidad, hornear postres y escribir poesía. Tiene una maestría en Teología y ha vivido en Etiopía como misionera. Rocío ahora vive en Israel con su marido alemán y su hijo. Es autora colaboradora de Blessed Conversations: Dwell. Puede leer más sobre ella en Graceandmercyblog.com.
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