Guided by God's Love - June 25

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 105:1-22; PM Psalm 105:23-45; Num. 17:1-11; Rom. 5:1-11; Matt. 20:17-28

“…God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:5)

I can’t read this passage from Romans without recalling the time that I ran a marathon. It’s hard to run a marathon, it’s not natural for a body to run that far, and it hurts…a LOT. It’s also like having a part time job because it’s very time consuming. It’s not like you just show up on race day and start running. NO! When someone decides to run a marathon, they spend months training for it. This involves running almost daily, as well as meal plans and extra time for physical therapy and naps. The runner also learns as the training gets harder to dig deeper into their soul for the drive to not quit this difficult thing. Then on race day, the runner gets in the right mind space to be able to push through the pain, with the goal to finish the race. And the race is not actually a race for speed, it’s a goal to finish. At the finish line, every runner wins the satisfaction of accomplishing something big that requires much suffering, endurance, character, and hope.

I think this marathon imagery is a good metaphor for the signs of our times right now. Striving to overcome the challenges of COVID-19, racial unrest, and economics requires the long, difficult, and painful commitment to get us to the finish line. I’m not sure if we even know where the finish line is located, but I think the concept still works. What this marathon imagery does NOT include is the crucial element of God’s love being poured into our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

As Christians, we are guided by God’s love for us to reach the finish line of this hard race. Many of us are feeling a sharp sense of urgency for a better world and that’s the finish line we are racing toward. We have suffered such tremendous losses that there is now a creative tension between what has been the status quo and what is now possible. Guided by God’s love being poured into our hearts, we are striving for a world that reflects the good news of our forgiveness and restoration in Jesus Christ. God’s love is powerful, and this gives me hope that we will cross that finish line, though it is not quite in sight.

 -- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.

Questions for Self-Reflection:

  • What sense of urgency do you feel for your world right now?

  • What will it take to cross the finish line? 

Daily Challenge:

Watch for God’s love being present and guiding yourself or others. Gives thanks for this in your prayers.

John Burruss