We Search For Jesus Out Of Need

2 Jan

“Not only do we know God by Jesus Christ alone, but we know ourselves only by Jesus Christ.  We know life and death only through Jesus Christ.  Apart from Jesus Christ, we do not know what is our life, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves.”  ~ Blaise Pascal

That might be some rather deep theology; yet, there it is.  Pascal reminds us of the importance of this feast and the importance of our search for Christ.  The Magi had a real need to find Jesus because, without Him, they would never have been fulfilled.  Their lives would have been hollow.  They needed to find Jesus in order to find the God who called them.

We, too, need to find the Lord.  Our lives are, or should be, based upon a search for Jesus Christ.  If we decide that we do not need Him, we are lost.  If we give up our search for Him, we are lost.  If we fail to find Him, we are lost.  I do not say this to make you fearful or depressed.  I merely state the obvious for any believer:  we need to find Christ.

The good news is that Jesus wants to be found.  It is not as if He is hiding from us.  On the contrary, He walks with us and extends His hand to us daily.  We are the ones who fail to recognize Him in our midst in order to accept His loving invitation to closer union.

The Magi read the signs of their times in order to find the Child Jesus. They traveled from afar in order to bring to Him their precious gifts.  Little did they know that He was the gift that would be given to them as well.

As it was for the Magi, so it is in our own lives.  We, too, need to read the signs of our times.  We might say that things are rough and that it is difficult to find God.  They were no easier for the Magi a couple thousand years ago.  As much as the world has changed, it has also remained the same.  There is still mistrust, doubt, hatred, and fear.  They keep us from one another and from God.  We need to find ways around all of that.

When we find the Lord, we realize what a wonderful gift that He is.  We experience His steadfast and unconditional love for us.  When we accept His hand and walk with Him, we are able to weather the test of time.  All the miseries of the world cannot take us from Him once we embrace Him and are embraced by Him.  That is what makes our search for Him so very important.

Do not fear.  Seek the Lord where He may be found.  Call on Him while He is near.  The difficulties that come our way are worth the struggle because the prize is God Himself.

FAITH ACTION:  Ask God to reveal Himself to you in the lives of those with whom you associate on a daily basis.