Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction,
that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope. (Rom 15:4)
Because of the consequence of original sin entering the world, we lost our immortality and incorruptibility. We became mortal beings. We became fragile. Anything in the world could hurt us and, indeed, many things in the world turned against us.
When that happened, we lost hope.
However, God did not want us to lose hope. He did not want us to give up on ourselves. That is why, throughout the ages, He gave His people a message of hope and comfort, a message that told His people that the world would be made aright one day and that all that was lost would be restored.
That is, indeed, a wonderful promise and a source of great hope and consolation. But, if we are going to see that happen, it will only be if and when we conform our wills, our minds, and our hearts to the Lord. We have to quit trying to conform the world — and the Lord — to our wills.
That was the message of the great herald, John the Baptist. He told us to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” He did not say, “God is coming, get out your shopping lists” or “God is coming, get out the contracts that you wrote and have Him sign on the dotted line.”
The great contract that God made with His people happened a long time ago and we hear the terms of it reflected quite often in scripture: “I will be your God and you will be my people.”
So, let us strive to do just that. Let us try to quit making God in our own image and let Him, instead, make us what He wants us to be. That may mean letting go of some of our plans, some of our dreams, or some of our fantasies. In the long run, though, it will be well worth it.
Advent continues. Let us resume our journey looking forward in hope.
FAITH ACTION: Reflect upon your life. What are one or two things that block you from being the kind of person God wants you to be? Ask the Lord to give you the grace and the courage that you need to overcome those hindrances, that you, truly, may prepare the way of the Lord.