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Thomas a Kempis, a 15th-century Augustine Hermit, said in his The Imitation of Christ, "Of what use is a long life if we amend so little? Alas, a long life often adds to our sins rather than to our virtue!"
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It has only been 5 weeks since the death of my grandmother - God blessed me so much with being home over the past few months to be with family - however, it's at times of bereavement when we truly reflect on our own lives. Our past, the present and what the future holds either become experiences and times that we celebrate or become anxious about. Kempis challenges us to think about our actions and our attitudes as he echos Joshua's question (24:15) "Choose today whom you will serve?"
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It may sound dramatic to say that every day is a battle but it is my experience, from the past few months at least, that every day is an internal battle. It's difficult to discern God's will sometimes and sometimes we need to open our eyes and acknowledge that despite our best efforts we frequently fail in making the right decisions. Paul said in his letter that he finds himself doing the very thing that he doesn't want to do, and we are the same.
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God knows our weaknesses and our inability to win these everyday battles. It's only through his grace that we can stand in his presence, and be completely confident of his love for us. Stand firm on this truth the next time you face a battle, and put your trust in God a-fresh today, choose life abundant!
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