How do we grow closer to God? Some may say it is by participating more in the sacraments (i.e. Reconciliation/ Confessions, attending Mass, participating in Adoration, etc). Others might say it is by simply increasing our prayer time. Some might even say it is through Random Acts of Kindness. While I listened to others as they shared about how they grow closer to Christ, I began to think. Is it possible to find just one answer to this? Then it dawned on me…
The first step in growing closer to someone is to know more of who they are. The second step in growing in closeness is to grow in love for them. The next step is to allow God to strengthen the relationship by bringing prayer into this relationship (whether it is through intercession, or by directly praying together, or being the vessels of the Presence of Christ in their lives). Therefore, to come closer to God, it begins by allowing ourselves to understand Who He is in our lives. Then it further breaks down to this…
(“God is Good, all the time! And ALL THE TIME, God is Good!”)
To grow closer to God is to know God…
(“God is where? EVERYWHERE! And everywhere, GOD IS THERE!”)
Knowing God, is knowing Him in everyone and in everything, for His Presence is in everything around us…
Therefore, to grow closer to God is to grow closer to everyone around us because His Presence lives in everyone and everything around us.
It is everything everyone mentioned; not just one or the other. It is growing in the sacraments, making conscious efforts to be more kind towards one another, increasing our prayer time, praying for and with one another, learning to love those who are difficult to love, serving one another in ways that might not be common or maybe even foreign to us, or taking the time to get to know those around us, no matter how excluded or uncomfortable we might feel. It is finding all the little ways to simply love literally everyone and everything around us before ourselves. It might even be being able to be thankful for having a house, room, or place to sleep in every night (despite not having specific living conditions we want), or eating whatever food is available so that it doesn’t waste or rot instead of looking for the things we want at that moment, or even doing acts of service for others despite of how good/ bad we might be in doing so. It is living, speaking, and thinking of love for others before ourselves that we learn to grow CLOSE.
By growing in this love and appreciation for them and/ or for the circumstances around us, we grow in love and appreciation for God, and ultimately… we grow closer to Him.
Lord, may we always have a willing and ready heart to accept our YES’s every day, and to allow ourselves to be led by Your guiding hands in the new and old ways of doing so. In everything we do or say, may we always be led closer to You.
Most Holy Family, pray for us!
TOTUS TUUS.