The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing
Part 3: God draws near to us to redeem the situation. Report card: “Has made good progress and should aim high”
Our faith in God allows us to be honest: “Lord, I have sinned again. I have failed to live up to my values and principles – let alone yours”. So, there is no need for self-righteous delusions; we are able to admit when we have gone wrong. Yet our deep assurance that God loves us protects us from despair because we are confident that God will forgive us and help to direct us in his ways of love and goodness. This is a much healthier outlook than that exhibited by many people today, where – because they have no sense of God’s presence – they are unable to admit to any fault. They claim that however they happen to be must have been ordained by fate from all eternity and so they react with instant outrage to any suggestion that they could be different and could be better. Yet this opportunity – that I could be different and better to how I am – is the essence of the call to a religious life. This gives people of faith the chance to leave behind aspects of their life that they don’t approve of – especially in the light of God’s nature – and to embrace a fuller life, without ever feeling that they aren’t valued. God’s love imparts a supremely precious value to our lives and becomes an impregnable bulwark against feelings of worthlessness or despair. We are able to embark on a journey of constant growth without ever despising the person we currently are. Even though, in our moments of deep repentance, we may indeed by dismayed or even disgusted by our own actions, this is not enough to breach the trust we have in God’s forgiving kindness or the effectiveness of his healing and renewing grace.
Spiritual Devotion 