Am I Doing This Right?
AM Psalm 106:1-18 • PM Psalm 106:19-48
Joel 3:1-2,9-17 • 1 Pet. 1:1-12 • Matt. 19:1-12
I read the scriptures for this week searching for the perfect thread to grab, the exact right thing to say. I wanted this reflection to feel impactful—I wanted to make it deep. You can imagine my dismay, then, when I realized that the lines in this handful of readings that continually drew my attention are from 1 Peter, and they are the lightest, simplest, and most joyful (at least to me).
Here they are:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Salvation. Pondering the word brings great serenity and a little trepidation. Not so much the part about accepting the love of Christ into my heart and doing my level best to live in the way He’s set before me through word and example—that is clear. It’s the abstract parts that get me, the not-knowing of it all. I start thinking about the fact that I do love someone I cannot see, and I do put my faith in His will for my life. It sounds bonkers and I wonder, often: am I doing it right?
Exploring the abstractions reminded me of my first classes in creative writing, when I learned that writing is more vivid when abstract words are translated into images rich in concrete sensory detail. The instructor began with the all-time greatest, hall-of-fame abstraction: love. I remember that one of the examples that occurred to me was a time a friend gave me a ride to the airport before dawn to catch a flight. That’s love.
I took the practice to my spiritual life:
Loving Christ is praying the rosary every day; pausing when I feel anxious to ask for relief from that feeling; sharing resources like time and money; offering my presence at home and at work; listening with intention in those spaces, even when I feel tired or what I am hearing is hard and I want to run away.
There are more examples I could name, ways that my life is made more vivid through loving Christ faithfully. I’ll ask you to make it concrete, too: what is your “ride to the airport?” I mean, how are you loving Christ and acting out your believing?
Written by Jane V. Blunschi
Originally from Louisiana, Jane lives, writes, and teaches in Fayetteville, Arkansas.