Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent Me. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. John 17:25-26

It’s been busy around here with all the activities that go along with having a graduating senior. Last night was the High School Awards Ceremony. I was beyond proud when Zack received the New Hampshire Scholar award! Way to go Zack!!

Scholarships were also given out by various groups and generous donors. The founder of each sat on stage so they could personally present the financial awards to the students. There were a few founders, however, who weren’t able to make it. The woman who coordinated the event stood in their place.

A couple things about the evening correlated to faith.

First was the coordinator standing in for others. Even though the founder of the scholarship wasn’t physically there, the receiving students still ended up with envelopes that contained their rewards. Sure, it would have been great if those students could have personally thanked the founders, and maybe took pictures with them. But the end result was the same: The students left the building with their checks in hand.

God Himself didn’t physically come to save us. He sent His Son in His place. Through Jesus, God poured His love into the world. Unlike the scholarship recipients, we don’t have to do a thing to earn it. All we have to do is open our hearts and receive.

Second was how the night dragged on. The kids were seated everywhere, all throughout the auditorium. As each name was called, everyone clapped. Then there was a L-O-N-G and silent pause as the student climbed over all the people in his or row, walked down the aisle, climbed up the steps, and then walked awkwardly across the full width of the stage with the entire crowd watching. Applause broke out again when each student made it to the podium and received his or her envelope. I think each second round of clapping was part congratulatory, part relief that the students F-I-N-A-L-L-Y arrived to receive their awards.

Our faith journey can feel the same way. Jesus is always calling us forward to gift us with God’s love. Often, we have to climb over the obstacles we’ve placed in the way, and travel the distance we’ve put between us. But, my oh my, does God applaud when we finally make it to the feet of Jesus – partly because He’s so happy to spend time with us, and partly because we’ve F-I-N-A-L-L-Y arrived to receive His love through His Son.

Questions for Reflection:

• Do I recognize that God sent His Son to give me with His love?
• What obstacles do I need to climb over to get to the feet of Jesus to receive it?