Confessions Pt. 1

So I was reading this new book I received by the dearest St. Augustine. I have read a plethora of material about him, yet have never actually read his own writing in his book Confessions. In his first portion of his writings he says, "You prompt us yourself to find satisfaction is appraising you, since you made us tilted toward you, and our heart is unstable until stabilized in You."

I find this very prominent in my own life. I spoke today at church and shared my experience with Raul, a kid from downtown Fresno who now knows Jesus, praise the Lord. I was asked to be Joseph in Journey's Bethlehem Experience, and I was not really all that invigorated to be a part of that portion of the experience for the community.

Yet, still, God had me there for a reason. This reason was to be there when Raul cried out to God to carry him, and be the dad that he lost. He sobbed in my arms, this little 11 year old Hispanic boy, and told me that he wanted Jesus more than anything in the world. Raul surrendered, completely submitted, his life to Jesus.

It was one of the most amazing experiences I have been a part of in my life. I have a gift from Raul to show for it (if you want to hear the complete story, just call and ask. It would be of great encouragement), a whittled piece of wood, to commemorate this experience together. This memorial that we made, will be forever ingrained in my own mind as I seek to serve God with my life.

This experience reminded me of what it means to really live. What we were made to do, as St. Augustine speaks so eloquently of. I found that not only was Raul's heart stabilized in God that night, but mine was taken back to where it was intended to reside. Since we are tilted toward God...We were made to connect to this God who so desperately wants us to love Him like He loves us, not that he needs us to love Him, but that this relationship with him gives every person the joy of experiencing true purpose with life. This comes from connecting with God, re-connecting with the one who we were made to fall in love with. This my friends, is what living truly looks like. We will always be unsatisfied, deep down, until we find our true satisfaction in the person of Jesus Christ. The one who gives us hope and peace and a reason to be living and breathing. Praise be to the Lord for revealing His plan for our lives. Raul reminded me of what living truly is.

I hope that I am permanently tilted toward the One who is all deserving.