In modern life we have all grown accustomed to instant gratification. Our technology allows us to quickly and easily answer simple life questions like, “What was the score of the game last night?” or “What is the weather going to be like today?” All we have to do is pull it up on our smart phones or ask Alexa. Likewise, most of the foods we eat are heavily laden with sugar so that when we feel the uncomfortableness of hunger or low energy, we can grab a quick snack and quell these feelings within seconds. Without thinking too deeply, modernity seems to be a wonderful thing. But perhaps it is also making it difficult for us to be patient and wait for what is yet to come; something that will bring greater rewards than instant gratification can offer.
Instant gratification is a wonderful thing when we want to know the score of the game. But, do these same expectations spill over into other parts of our lives, such as our spirituality? I know that it does for me. If I let myself go unchecked, I can get impatient and frustrated that God’s plan is not moving at the same pace as my own expectations. Perhaps this is what Jesus was saying to his disciples in Luke’s reading – “put aside your personal desires and time schedules and be patient.” And, perhaps it’s in the quiet and waiting where we will find God. Perhaps the quiet and waiting allows our minds to slow enough that we’re in the best possible state of mind to receive the grace of God.
The key is that we are to “open immediately” when Jesus comes and knocks on the door of our heart. This passage reveals the disposition that we are to have in our hearts regarding the way Christ comes to us, by grace, and “knocks.”
Jesus is knocking on our heart. He is continually coming to us seeking to come in and recline with us so as to converse, strengthen, heal and help. The question to honestly ponder is whether or not we’re ready to let Him in immediately. Too often we hesitate in our encounter with Christ. Too often we want to know the full plan for our lives before we are willing to submit and surrender.
What we must come to know is that Jesus is trustworthy in every way. He has the perfect answer to every question we have, and He has the perfect plan for every aspect of our lives. Once we accept this truth, we will be better prepared to open the door of our heart at the first prompting of grace. We will be prepared to be immediately attentive to all that Jesus wants to say to us and to the grace He wants to give us.
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