“Now someone approached him and said, ‘Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?’ He answered him, ‘Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He asked him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus replied, ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” (Mt. 19:16:22 NABRE)
The young man in the Scripture had a desire to follow Jesus, and yet, he was not willing to surrender everything to the Lord. He had given so much of himself to living for God and following His commands, but when asked by Jesus to sell all of his possessions and to follow Him, the young man backed away, unwilling to let go of what was asked of him.
How often do we find ourselves holding something back from the Lord? How often do we struggle to fully surrender ourselves and all that we have to God?
Whether it be the outcome of a certain situation, the condition of various relationships in our lives, our finances, or decisions we have to make, we often find it difficult to give everything to God and to surrender to His will.
Sometimes we hold on and we want to be in control.
Today’s Gospel reminds us that we must always choose to follow Jesus, above all else. This involves surrendering everything to Him without hesitation. Unlike the young man, we must be willing to give all that we are and all that we have to the Lord.
May we find freedom in Christ by trusting in Him and giving ourselves fully to Him by holding nothing back. By doing so, we will be able to follow the Lord more closely and live for Him more fully and unreservedly.
May we find peace and freedom by surrendering all to Him!
“For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)