the desires of your heart

Lewis talks about our thought life today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

He tells us that when we really get serious about following Jesus, we begin to realize that even what we THINK about is affected. Before, when we were just trying to be good Christians, we had to be careful about what we DID...and make sure our thoughts didn't cause us to sin (for example, be angry and sin not). But when we become more and more taken over by Jesus, when He makes us more and more the person He created us to be...even our thoughts come into alignment with His thoughts. We find ourselves angry at others less often, because our love for them grows.

When I was discerning whether I was called to marriage or the priesthood, I realized one day that what I really wanted was to WANT what God wanted for me. I desired to have His desires for my life. So I started praying that He would help me want what He wanted, and stop wanting what He didn't want for me. As I prayed that, my desire for the priesthood lessened day by day, and my desire for marriage became very strong.

This is a snapshot of what He does in all of our hearts, during the course of our lives, as we grow in our relationship with Him. As we sincerely ask and desire for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

God, please help us to want what You want...in our lives, and throughout the world. And help us work for it.