“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things… nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

We can all be tigers at times when it comes to defending an opinion or a point of view. When I’m convinced of something, I’ll argue my case as well as anyone!

But today I’m going to challenge myself. In light of St. Paul’s ringing proclamation of Christ’s love, do I have the same kind of conviction about my faith that he does? Does God really love me that much?

When the rhythm of life is steady and sure—I think back to the beginning of the year—it’s easy to overlook God’s presence. We’re enveloped in the normal flow of everyday living and have no need to believe it should be otherwise. These are the times I tell myself to pause for a moment and think about the inevitable bumps in the road, and yes, the losses: the times I felt rescued, forgiven, accepted without prejudice, cared for and loved despite the circumstance. I think St. Paul is saying, “There are lessons here…”

Life’s difficulties—and how we react to them—define us as faithful followers of Christ. Being convinced of his love is recalling the time we were healed because someone extended us mercy… or the time we restored a relationship because someone else took the first step. And especially the times we are big enough to admit to an error in judgment. These are the conversations I have with God to help me recall that every act of love comes from a divine source, and that every act of love is a reflection of the infinite good that is God. That is constant and unchanging. It’s the source of my confidence and St. Paul’s, too.

Friend, life may not always unfold the way we would like. That was true even for St. Paul. But that doesn’t mean that God has abandoned us. The door to healing and the greatest love imaginable is always open. We can have the boundless confidence of St. Paul because our ultimate calling is eternal life with Christ and the saints of heaven. I can’t think of a greater gift to do the convincing.