Journeying to Grace

When I walk through my neighborhood, I encounter the beautiful and melodic sounds of many windchimes. Each one is unique in design, and in the breeze, each one moves to create the sound it was specifically made for. Now that I know where the windchimes are, I see them regularly. But it’s just not the same when they’re standing still. The same is true for us. We aren’t meant to be still when it comes to making the beautiful sound of sharing our faith, and this New Year is a fitting opportunity to renew our mission of sharing our faith as members of the Body of Christ. What spiritual movements can we make in the New Year to help create deeper faith for us and for those we encounter?

It’s natural to review many parts of our lives at the end of the year. I receive a detailed recap of the music I listened to on my playlist all year. The photo gallery app on my phone creates a nice collage of the photos I have taken. I certainly take my own personal ‘inventory’ of my successes and disappointments of the past year as well as my hopes for the year ahead. But as I’m contemplating my journey over the last year, it’s vital to also reflect on how I shared and lived my faith. Did I share my faith with someone who needed to hear about the Lord, His grace, and His unconditional love? Or was I still? When someone else was hurting, was I compassionate in offering the Lord’s healing peace? Or was I still? Did I keep my faith to myself, or did I share it?

There are obvious times when we are called to be still. We are familiar with: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10, 46:11 in Catholic translations) This psalm is our invitation to slow down, recognize God working in our lives, and trust in His love despite the messy things around us.  We are ‘still’ in our conversations with Him and in our prayerful contemplation. But renewed by those times of encounter and reflection, we are missioned to share what lives in our hearts of faith. As we enter this New Year with the joy of Christ’s birth and the hope of His promises, let us ask the Lord to be the breeze that moves us to share Him with others. May you and your loved ones have a very blessed, happy, and faith-filled year.