Live Greater Whole

Jan 14, 2008

Happy new year my friends. I hope this finds you with great joy even though we are back to the hustle and bustle of early mornings, school, practices, homework, and so much more. I pray that your break was restful and renewing!

So what is it this year? You know…that area of your life you want to change or improve. We get it from our parents. There’re the ones that come downstairs on News Years day dressed in spandex, determined to exercise and get healthy. It is funny because it is true. God Bless them, but similarly, we think about the upcoming year and try to set goals and choose an area in our lives on which we would like to focus. In the past, maybe we have tried to quit smoking, help around the house more, or maybe we tried to show up to class on time, be nicer to a friend, or even tried to stop cussing like a trucker. There are many times throughout the year when we want to make a change or be better at something. Lent is coming up and even birthdays can be an opportunity to set new goals and have a fresh take on life. In any of those instances, we desire many things. Or do we? Let’s take a second to unpack what we truly desire when setting goals and desiring a fresh start.

I am humbled by the opportunity to listen to a lot of people. Through my experiences, I am amazed at what people go through in their lives and how they still find a way to smile. It always seemed that every individual was seeking something different. Some wanted to be in a more loving relationship, others wanted direction in life, others wanted to quit drinking, while others wanted to find shelter from abuse. All their desires seemed different, not connected, until one particular conversation.

It was with a friend who is very dear to me. He has lived a crazy life but by the grace of our Lord we were always able to stay connected. After his major conversion and a big transformation in his life, I noticed something was different. The next time we got together, I asked what it was about him that brought him so much peace. His answer I will never forget, “Rusty, I am whole again…”

Looking back, every conversation I have ever had, every person I have ever listened to, on the outside seemed different but at their core just wanted to be whole. When we feel whole, we can’t explain it. It is a feeling that helps us to know and trust that our life makes sense. Not that we have all the money in the world, or get the best grades, or have the coolest friends, or are the star on the basketball team, but when we feel whole, everything just makes sense.

“Rusty, I am whole again…”

The bad news is, that most of us don’t know that feeling. We don’t know what it is like to feel whole or complete. And with that, we look for that wholeness in all the wrong places.

Desiring to feel whole we look to money…
Desiring to feel whole we look to popularity...
Desiring to feel whole we look to friends who treat us poorly…
Desiring to feel whole we look to dating...
Desiring to feel whole we look to sex…

And when we seek wholeness in the wrong places, it is no surprise that we can’t find it. So what do we do? We drink the sorrow away with alcohol or put off the pain with drugs, or busyness, or loads of friends always around. Most of the time we are miserable and we don’t even know what to do.

The great news is that the wholeness we desire can be found if we truly want it.

My friends, Jesus is waiting to make us whole. He is waiting to pick us up when everything in the world has failed us. The scriptures are full of Jesus doing His thing…making us whole again. He cured the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, forgave the sinners, and even raised the dead. Jesus can make us whole. The great reality of his miracles is not only that obvious outward sign, but a more important and personal reality of Jesus revealing himself and fulfilling our deepest desires.

And you know what, I am tired of being let down. I am tired of MTV, Hollywood and our culture telling us that money, power, popularity, and you name it, will make us happy or complete. I am tired of being failed.

Jesus can’t fail, He doesn’t know how to fail. The reality of it is this: Every time we go to Mass we have the opportunity to become whole. Every time we go to confession or partake in the sacraments, Jesus shares his fullness and life with us and we become a little more complete. Every time we choose to do the right thing, we become a little more whole. Every time we help someone else, we help them become a little more whole.

Whether it is now, or during Lent, or any other time when we want more from ourselves and our lives, think about what will make you more whole. Set goals, make a plan, tell your family and friends, do everything possible to seek a life of wholeness only the Lord can give. Once you experience it, you will know it. Everything will just make sense.

At some point one of your friends will ask you what it is about you and you will answer, “I am whole again…”

God Bless You,

Rusty

Question of the week: What do you desire for this new year? How will Jesus help you?