What will separate us?

What will separate us from the love of Christ?

St. Paul wrote many letters to various communities to encourage believers. The earliest days of the Church were challenging. Undoubtedly, they are still challenging today.

To the Romans he wrote: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”. 8:28

He continues, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him”? 8:31-32

Then he asks this most profound question: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future thins, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 8:35, 37-39

The power of God’s love has overcome every obstacle to Christian’s salvation and every threat to separate from God. Thus, for us, he gave his Son to death. But it was a death that brought our salvation. Through Jesus, we can overcome all affliction and trial.

So I ask again, what can separate us from the love of Christ? Will we allow this world, the economy, the job market, the political environment, the stock market, personal debt to separate us? How about more personal? Will we allow our job, job changes, changing responsibilities, layoffs, salary freezes, uncooperative co-workers to separate us? More personal? Will we allow tension at home, illness, pressures of family, disappointment among loved ones, disagreements to separate us? What about the unexpected? Bad news, tragic news, loss of love, loss of a loved one, a ruptured friendship, accidents, storms, hurricanes; can these separate us?

What about our faith? Do we feel separated when we realize that mercy is balanced by justice, charity balanced by obedience, worship by God’s will? Do we wish to be the image and likeness of God or do we desire to make God in our image?

Jesus will never abandon us; he can’t help but love us. It is us that separate ourselves from Him. Stay in his love. Trust in him. When the storms of life come at you, in whatever form they take; when those who love you hurt you; when that which you depend on let’s you down, go to Him, run to Him.

Surrender to His love, seek to do His will, not your own, and there in His will, you will find perfect peace.

What can separate us from the love of Christ? Nothing, if we transform our lives to do His will.

Here’s praying that you find perfect peace.