Listen

“Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who love son or daughter more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me. Those who find their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives because of me will find them.”

Matthew 10:37-39

Think

I have seen young people go out on their first mission trip with fear and nerves and come back transformed. Not because the experience was comfortable, but because they let go of something of themselves and found something much greater.

Jesus says it in a way that at first sounds strange: “Whoever wants to keep their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” That is not defeat. It is the most powerful paradox of the gospel.

The athlete who saves all her energy for fear of tiring out never runs her best race. The one who gives their all—the one who risks—crosses the finish line without holding anything back. That’s the one who knows they really ran. Jesus does not invite us to watch the race from the stands. He invites us to run it. Are you ready? On your mark.

Jesús García

Question to Ponder:

What do you need to “lose” today to find the full life that Jesus promises?

Pray

God, I want to live a surrendered life. Help me to let go of control, to trust you, and to discover that giving you everything is where I really find myself. Amen.

Go

Go out today with purpose. Don’t run alone. Run with the team God gave you, with the gifts God gave you, into the world God loves so much. On your mark, get set…go!