Social Conservative Review - December 3, 2018

December 3, 2018

Dear Friends,

At a retreat I attended some years ago, a priest said something that I will never forget. He said that whenever we are feeling spiritually dry and it seems like God is far away from us, or even when we begin to have doubts about our faith, there is one simple action we can take that can ground us again and stabilize our disillusionment. It is to simply remember those precious moments in our lives when God has shown Himself to us very clearly, filling us with unearthly gratitude and peace.

As it happens, I had one of these moments a few weeks ago. While I was reading Scripture before starting work one morning, I was struck by a passage from Luke 18, when a blind man calls out to Jesus to have pity on him, and what happened next: “Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He replied, ‘Lord, please let me see.’ Jesus told him, ‘Have sight; your faith has saved you’” (Luke 18:40-42). After reading those words, tears immediately filled my eyes, and I was overwhelmed with a sense of immense comfort and peace, as if Christ was holding my shoulders, gazing into my eyes, and speaking those words directly to me: “Your faith has saved you.” In that moment, I felt as though I was being given a brand-new understanding of the enormity of the gift of faith that God had given me—“I offered you salvation, and you accepted it. See now how you flourish because of this gift! Don’t ever forget that!”

For me, moments like these happen rarely and inexplicably, seemingly out of nowhere. I am truly grateful to God for them because I know what He is doing: He is giving me a taste of Heaven, a spiritual consolation and confirmation of His existence and His personal, fatherly care for my soul. When I am feeling spiritually listless, all I need to do is recall one of these moments when God broke through the earthly veil of tears and spoke directly to me. When I do this, I am reminded of the Hope that is always there, even amidst the worst crisis of faith I could ever conceivably experience.

As we enter the Advent season, it can be easy to get caught up in earthly preparations and worries, and we may even find ourselves feeling a bit lethargic about the real “reason for the season.” If we do, one way we can stay grounded is to simply remember. Remember the origin story of when we were first given the gift of faith or any of those extraordinary moments when God broke into our lives with supernatural clarity. By doing this, we can remind ourselves about and reflect upon the origin story of salvation, when the Christ-child broke into history and into the soul of every person who has ever or will ever live, calling us all by name to Himself.

Thank you for your prayers and for your continued support of FRC and the family.

Sincerely,

Dan Hart
Managing Editor for Publications
Family Research Council

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