What you have
(for someone who’s running on empty)
Today’s Gospel is disturbing.
When Jesus says, “whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
It comes across as harsh. And it is. For a reason.
To break us out of our complacency. To get us – just for a moment – to actually think about what we’re doing. And how we do it.
Because all of us have our priorities, the relationships that come first for us. Ones that weigh on us if we neglect them. Our “shoulds.”
Even when our priorities are healthy – we’ve gotten rid of the negative and the toxic, and we’re focused on good and healthy relationships – there’s still a limit to what we can do. Because you and I can only give to them what we have.
And if all we have to give is our own strength, our compassion, our patience, our forgiveness, our love? At some point, it’s going to run out. Because you and I only have so much. And we can only give what we have.
God knows this about us (He is God, after all). God knows us better than we know ourselves.
And God knows that in order to be able to give what needs to be given, to keep those relationships healthy (for us and for them), we need more. More strength, compassion, patience, forgiveness – more love than we have to give.
Which is why He’s telling us to get our priorities right. Not because there’s anything wrong with loving any of those people. But because God wants those relationships, and all the relationships that are important to us, to be grounded in an unending source of strength and compassion, of patience and forgiveness – the unending love of God.
For the relationships that are important to us to be at their happiest, their healthiest, their holiest? We need to bring our best to them.
And you and I are at our absolute best when what we bring, when what we are first filled with, is the unending love of God.
Because you can only give what you have.
Today’s Readings









