Daily Devotional for June 25

 

June 25                                                    Matthew 19:23-30

It was gently raining as I walked from the parking lot to the
Apex Plumbing store, and there he was, standing beneath a
tree, his red, swollen hands outstretched, asking for money.
We talked briefly and I learned that he had fallen upon hard
times. I could see he was addicted to alcohol.

His very presence communicated his pain and I felt a bond
with him, for I, too, am an addicted person. I am addicted
to worrying and guilt, to chocolate and coffee, and to money
- to name a few of my addictions. These things consume my
thoughts, my energy, my time, and just as surely as alcohol
debilitates the man I met, my addictions prevent me from
loving God wholeheartedly and from loving my neighbor as
I love myself.

How do we get beyond these attachments that consume our
days and keep us from the love we yearn for? By ourselves
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Take time now to get in touch with your deepest longing for
God - the desire that gives meaning to your life. If you can't
find that longing within you, simply pray that you may find
it today. Then consider your own addictions, whatever they
may be: relationships, money, food, sex, guilt - those things
that are not your deepest desire, but are the things to which
you devote an inordinate amount of energy. Focus on a
troublesome one and pray for the willingness and grace to leave
it behind.

Let us pray this prayer for each other today, knowing deep
in our hearts that with God all things are possible.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989