John 18:33-37
This world is broken.
With all of the heartbreaking things happening -- shootings, natural disasters, corruption, violence -- it's hard to see the good, and it's all become normal. Reaching optimism seems impossible at this point, but this world is not the end.
There's so much more with Jesus.
In this reading He says, "my kingdom does not belong to this world." The two main things I get from this Gospel is hope and faith. The best is yet to come as there's more for us in heaven. This is not God's kingdom. It's greater than this.
And like I said before, it's hard to find the good in this world, but Jesus says, "for this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth." There is still hope somewhere out there because Jesus came to save us and bring us with Him to His kingdom. Heaven. When everything seems like chaos, look to Jesus for comfort because His kingdom WILL come and "everyone who belongs to the truth listens to [his] voice." With all the noise coming from the news or from everyday life, you really have to listen closely to find His truth.
But really. Listen CLOSELY.
You can find Jesus everywhere, but He's often quiet and subtle. So look to the little things and small signs of His grace. These are the things that really keep me going. These are my sources of hope.
The faith part of this reading comes when Jesus explains to Pilate that if this world was truly the Kingdom of God, his "attendants would be fighting to keep [him] from being handed over to the Jews."
It's hard to be a believer.
When you're in an environment of nonbelievers, society of evil, or a community not centered on Christ, it's hard. It's starting to sound repetitive, but the faith is a challenge. It's taken me so long to be able to feel comfortable fully living my faith, especially in this transition into college, but I realized that I am happiest when sharing my faith and fully embracing it and surrounding myself with God's love -- so why should I be afraid?
So as we get started with the season of Advent and the craziness of the holidays and the end of the semester, look for the little things and keep the faith. Find comfort in God's graces in your everyday life and prepare your hearts for Christ.
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