Children of God

Read this verse and really think about it.

"See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure." 1 John 3:1-3

Many of us have been told since we were young that we are "Children of God". While it is true, what does it mean exactly? God has loved every person that has ever been and ever will be since the time that he created the world. He created all of us out of love. He knew what we would look like, what we would do, and who we would be because He created us to be perfect in our own unique way in His image. We are all equal in the eyes of God, from the time we are on our mother's womb till we're living in a nursing home. There is nothing that we can or can't do to make God love us any less than He always has. God's love is everlasting. We can't even comprehend how much he loves us. No matter how many times we sin turn away from God, he will always accept us back with loving arms. How much love that must be!

Everyone is a child of God. However, God calls us to be in a much deeper relationship with Him rather than just saying we love and believe in Him. To say something means a lot, but to actively live it is something else. God not only just wants to be a part of our lives, but the center of it. God wants to be a part of our lives all the time, not just when the going gets tough or when we feel like it letting him in. When God is the center of our lives and we accept that he has a plan, every aspect of our lives becomes better than it ever could have been without God. All of us have a longing for fulfillment and truth that can only be filled by God. Some people try to fill it with earthly things such as items, money, or pleasures. While it may feel right for a little while, nothing can make up for the presence of God in our lives. Earthly things don't last forever, only God can.

What happens when we don't accept God into our lives and see ourselves as his children? Think of the story of Adam and Eve. When God created the world, He created it perfectly. He made all of the animals , nature, light, dark, land, sea, and sky. However nothing else he created meant more to him than Adam and Eve. God told them that they could eat from every tree in the garden except the tree in the middle, because if they ate from the tree in the middle they would die. However, God loves all of us so much that he gave us free will to do as we wish. Eve gave in to temptation when the serpent tempted her because she had the free will to do so and she was tricked into thinking it was a good choice. We have the choice to either accept God's plan for our lives, or go our own way. Since Adam and Eve chose to eat from the tree, they were banned out of the garden of Eden forever and put the stain of sin, pain, and suffering on the rest of humanity to follow. If they would have listened to God they would have had wonderful lives in the Garden of Eden. It was easy for Adam and Eve to give in to the temptation of the serpent because he made it seem like a good idea by lying and deceiving them. Because of this, sin and evil entered into the world. Every day the devil tries to tempt us to turn away from God and turn toward pleasures. He tries to deceive us into thinking that pleasures are just as good as happiness, but that is a huge lie. We may not know what God has in store for us, but it is surely better than anything we could plan for ourselves. Trust that God knows best because life without God is a life without happiness.

The incredible thing is that He not only wants to share His love with us, but also the grace to live a dynamic life with Him! Because of sin and temptation, living a life with God can be ver challenging at times. I've heard it asked "If God loves us, then why is there so much suffering in the world?" The struggles and challenges that God puts in our lives only make our faith in Him stronger. Every struggle that we face in life is a chance to ask God for his grace to help us through it. The point isn't just to have faith in God, but to constantly be strengthening that faith. But we have to want to strengthen our faith, otherwise it does no good. Think about a marriage. A marriage where the two of you always get along and have fun seems amazing right? What about a marriage that where the two of you you do face troubles, but turn to God for help and grow stronger as a couple, deepen your love for each other and God, and have a longer, happier marriage? While the first option may have sounded better, the second option ended up being a better option than it may have seemed at first. The first option is the most attractive option and it may seem like it could bring happiness, but truthfully the second option contributes to true happiness. Every decision we make in this life is the chance to receive God's grace and grow in virtue, or reject it like Adam and Eve did. God gives us many tools that help us receive his grace. It all starts with baptism. Whether you were baptized as a baby or an adult or somewhere in between, you received God's grace through the sacrament. The same goes with every sacrament we receive during our lifetime such as the Eucharist, Confirmation, and Reconciliation. He also gives us the Bible, rosary, and people in our lives that want to help us strengthen our relationship with God. These gifts allow us to receive God and ask for forgiveness, which God gives us the grace to do so. The more of God's grace that we receive, the more we can be like Him. God made us in his image so that we can glorify Him and and show his love towards others

We also receive God's grace when we pray. Having a good prayer life is essential to having a dynamic relationship with God. Prayer can do wondrous things, even if we don't know it. By praying, we allow ourselves to fully surrender ourselves to God and bring all of our needs and worries to Him. When we bring all of our needs and worries to him, it helps us remember that He is in control and we really don't need to worry about anything at all. Praying helps us reflect upon ourselves and ask God for help where we need it. When we pray, we admit to God that we need him in our lives and in turn we are able to accept him more and more. Prayer doesn't just need to happen when we need something though. When we have intimate conversations with God we stay close to him. In order to have a strong relationship with God, we all must have a habit of daily prayer. There are many excuses as to why someone wouldn't have a habit of daily prayer. Some people may think that a habit of daily prayer means spending an hour or more every day. While that is a great thing to do, it doesn't necessarily have to mean that. Some say that praying is difficult or they don't believe that God hears their prayers. These could not be farther from the truth! All you have to do is say what's on your heart and God will answer it in His way and on His time. Here is something that can help you start a habit of daily prayer if you haven't already. It is called the Prayer Process by Matthew Kelly.

1.Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.

2. AwarenessL: Revisit the times in the past twenty-four hours when you were not the best version of yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them.

3. Significant moments: Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event or person.

4. Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or Him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.

5. Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the-best-version-of-yourself.

6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them.

7. Finish by praying the Our Father.

When we recognize ourselves as children of God and accept the call to live a life with Him, it then becomes much easier to see other people as our brothers and sisters. No matter our race, social status, income, or beliefs, we are all a part of God's family. God commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Love is not just something that we have. Like all good things, it comes from God. As children of God, He calls us to love others as He loves us. We can only do this if we truly know and love God with everything we have. He not only wants us to know how much we are loved, but also to show others how much they are loved. What exactly does it mean to show love to someone? Showing love could mean many different things. It could mean treating your spouse to a romantic date night. Picking flowers for your Mom. Giving a nice compliment to a person walking past you. Taking a walk or spending time with a friend. Surprising your kids with a trip to the park. There are so many things that we could do to show other people in our lives that they are loved and cared for that sometimes we may not even realize that we are doing just that.

We are all children of God and we are all called to have a relationship with Him. Will you accept it or reject it?