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January 14

God the Source of Life

It is one thing to acknowledge our need of God’s grace in the radicality of our sin and brokenness; it is another to see our need for God when we think we are doing well.

At the time of one’s initial conversion one is often gifted with profound insight. Things are seen much more clearly, both in terms of who God is and who we are. God is seen as blinding light. We are seen in the rags of our sinfulness. Over time this sharper vision begins to blur. We often begin to see God less clearly and begin to think too much of ourselves, our piety, and our service.

St. Augustine puts all of this in a much clearer perspective. He writes, “For when I am wicked, to confess to thee means nothing less than to be dissatisfied with myself; but when I am truly devout, it means nothing less than not to attribute my virtue to myself.”14

This way of seeing things need not be an unhealthy self-deprecation. Virtue in the sight of God is not self-produced but grace-induced. It is the Holy Spirit doing his renewing and beautifying work in us. We live and act graced by the goodness of God.

While we are called to cooperate with the Spirit, we are not the source of goodness. Goodness is the fruit that the Spirit grows within us. Thus, God is to be praised rather than we should lapse into self-congratulation.

Thought

God alone is the life-giver who makes me whole. Therefore, God’s grace is the source of goodness rather than mere human self-effort.