The Choice Is Yours

You and I have been gifted with the precious benefit of a free will. God lets us choose to grow spiritually as much as we want. If things seem dark for you at the moment, you don't have to leave them that way. You can change, and you can do it now. You can choose to let the Lord free you from worry, resentments morbid brooding, self-pity, or dark desires. But this can happen only if you yield yourself totally to the Lord, to be made whole by him, "in body, mind, and spirit" (1 Thes 5:23).

It requires generous cooperation with God's grace to bring thoughts and emotions into line with God's magnificent plan. But as we learn to practice thought-control, the master architect of our character, we will be fitted by the Master Architect for life in the celestial mansion that he has designed to be our home.

This excerpt is from the book The Art of Loving God by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications, 1995. This and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.