Staying in love.

" 'Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love; stay in love, and it will decide everything.'

- Pedro Arrupe, SJ

Why is it that we struggle to give Christ a hundred percent of our lives? Why do we fall into the trap of leading a double life? We say that we love God, and yet we put him into an isolated compartment when it’s convenient for us.

It’s because we don’t stay in love with God.

We fall in love with Him after an OLC, camp or retreat- but that love is fleeting, for it is based on feelings, on hype. After a while, the excitement and empowerment rubs off, and we go back to how we were before- that is, until the next major event when we fall in love with Him all over again.

But how do we stay in love with Him?

Think about a couple. They start liking each other based on superficial interests, but what makes them fall in love with each other are the deeper values they share. You don’t love somebody based on their favourite colour or food. You love them for who they really are.

It’s the same with God. The more we know Him, the deeper our relationship gets, and the deeper our love for Him grows. We stay in love with Him by getting to know Him on a deeper level; through prayer and scripture. When we read about Christ’s life, we see just how amazing He is, in a totally relatable way. When we spend time with Him through prayer, we are affirmed of His constant presence in our lives. It’s the most intimate time we have with Him.

YFC Australia, let’s strive to make our faith not just a religion, but a culture. Let’s get out of bed every morning with the mentality that our life is for Christ. Let’s stay true to the covenant we made with our God when we first joined this community.

Let’s stay in love with our Lord, because He is always in love with us."

-YFC Australia