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The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.— Romans 10:8

We are so preoccupied and busy that, for many, the only way we might notice and choose God’s love is if it subtly invades our everyday lives. Call it an act of grace.

“God’s love for us continues, hoping to catch us in a willing moment, in the little spaces of our lives between the thousands of thoughts, choices, and words that define our day.”[1]

In time, we begin to notice these moments, stay with them a little longer, and start to pray into them. And something bigger begins to stir within us, spilling over into the rest of our lives.

As Jesus draws us into a relationship with him, we usually have little idea what this invitation means or where the journey goes. We only know that we must take it.

And “through a mysterious interweaving of divine grace and human willingness,”[2] despite our background, biases, habits, and addictions, we find ourselves beginning to choose our heart’s desire, to say “Yes” to Jesus’ love.

The caution is to not turn our choices into projects. We like to control and work hard to make things happen. We count on productivity and efficiency to lead to success.

None of that works here. It’s not even possible.

Jesus does not want our spiritual projects. He wants the consent of our hearts.