7 Reasons to Strive for Deep Conversion

I recently read a book titled Deep Conversion/ Deep Prayer by Fr. Thomas Dubay.  In it he outlined 7 reasons why Christians should not be satisfied with spiritual mediocrity, but instead strive for deep personal conversion.  True conversion stems from an encounter with the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, yet sometimes we need a variety of reasons to push past complacency and I think these 7 reasons may help with that.

1. You will be far happier in your state of life and so will those with whom you deal

The closer we become to the God who created us, who loves and sustains us in being, the better we come to understand our meaning and purpose in life.  Living the life we were created to live leads to an abundance of joy, and the more in accord we live with God’s plan for our lives, the more pleasant we are to those around us.  People that have been deeply converted to Jesus Christ are the best people to be around.

2. By it you prove real love for other people in your life

How can we say that we love other people in our lives when we are not seriously working on our own conversion?  How can I say I love my spouse when I am not striving to overcome my vices and grow in virtue?  Becoming more converted to Love itself takes us in only one direction: we ourselves start to love more purely and truly.  How can I profess that God is Love, and at the same time not try to grow in deeper intimacy with God, all the while telling others that I love them?

3. We have a better understanding of God and the economy of salvation

Our ability to see and understand the sometimes mysterious ways of God while on this earth is often clouded and confused.  The more deeply converted we become, the more we are able to see with the eyes of Christ.  We are able to better understand God and how he works in the world.  We become more sensitive to the movements and voice of the Holy Spirit. Often in stories of conversion, people will talk about how it seemed as if a cloud was lifted from their head, allowing them to see reality more clearly.

4. Ecumenical and apostolic effectiveness

It is the saints throughout history that have been the most effective evangelists. Those people that are in the greatest union and intimacy with Jesus Christ are the greatest channels of God’s love and mercy. 

5. There is an intercasuality between deep conversion and deep prayer

Conversion and prayer go hand in hand.  The more we converse and spend time with God, the more we get to know him and become like him.  Prayer leads to deeper conversion and deeper conversion leads to a more natural inclination and understanding of prayer.  We must strive past superficial, standard, and monologic prayer to intimate communion with God.  The better we recognize the voice and movements of God in our daily lives, the more we start to correspond to that grace and becoming living instruments of God.

6. It triggers inexpressible joy

Holiness and joy go hand in hand.  It is characteristic of the saints, those throughout history who have been most converted to Jesus Christ, that their life is marked by great joy, no matter their levels suffering. God is not a magic genie or cheat code that takes away our problems in life, but he does promise joy and an abundance of life to those who follow him. 

7. In everything we do in this life we are making ourselves the kind of persons we shall be for all eternity

Who do you want to be for all of eternity?  What do you want to be like for all of eternity?  Our lives on this earth are like a spec of sand compared to eternal life.  Do we expect to be fine and comfortable with vice and sin in this world and think we will feel comfortable and at home in heaven? In many ways heaven and hell are continuations of what we choose in this life.