Recently, I’ve found myself following a spiritual rabbit hole, of sorts. In my love for and desire to live for Jesus, I’ve been trying to study His Word and decipher His will. I’ve studied more of the law to determine what sin is so that I might avoid it, but in spending so much time contemplating sin, I’ve found that it has consumed too much of my focus. Then, at church on Sunday, the priest shared these beautiful words by Roy Lessin:

“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.                                                                                 If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.                                                                                              If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.                                                                                            If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.                                                                                        But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.”

Jesus freed us from being bound to the law and condemned by our sin. He is our Messiah and our Savior. While our concupiscence still draws us towards sin and we must be vigilant in resisting that temptation, we are forgiven. That is the key.

We are forgiven.

Not just for the sins we have committed or are committing now, but for our future sins, too, if we present them to God with a contrite heart. Our focus should not stray from the miraculous gift of Jesus, because if we were to allow that to happen, then we could lose the joy that provides the wellspring of life-giving energy and love that allows us to truly live for and in Christ. We are no longer slaves to the Law. We are sons and daughters of God. Let’s allow that joy to fill our hearts and flow through our actions every day.