Does your Jesus Know My Jesus?

Does Your Jesus Know My Jesus?

Eileen Renders

Your Jesus told me I will one day be with Him. Your Jesus says He is with you always. My Jesus tells me to pray more often, and your Jesus tells you to do more acts of kindness. I feel unworthy of the companionship of Jesus, guilty for all the sins of the past. Your Jesus reminds you to go to the sacrament of Reconciliation to receive forgiveness.

Could it be that Jesus has different instructions and feelings for each one of us? Can He possibly be watching each one of us so closely, so intimately? Is Jesus really omnipotent? Does He love each of us equally? My mother had seven children, and I asked her often, “Mom, who is your favorite?” Mom always replied, “I love you all the same.” It took me many years to understand that Jesus also loves us all equally, but some of us are more compatible than others. Naturally, the next obvious question is the one that keeps popping up, “Why?”

Contemplating the reason why God is more compatible with one than another is obvious. Some of us are focused on becoming more and more pleasing to God, while others of us are still into our immature, selfish ways of pleasing ourselves. This may be the reason why God is concerned about many of us, and not so much about others.

Does God then love us equally the same? God has enough love and concern to go around equally for each one of us, as called for. He has shown His desire to save all of us and bring us home to heaven for eternity. It is we, however, who often disregard God’s feelings and desires, choosing to do what pleases ourselves as we make choices throughout each day, depending on what our options are. 

In spiritual maturity, we begin to comprehend that our momentary choices and pleasures are not always aligned with God’s choices for us as they take us away from purity, kindness, empathy, and humility. Acts, choices, and decisions that leave us lost on our journey toward heaven.

This is when the Holy Spirit taps us on the shoulder, and as a Teacher who inspires us might say, “Pay attention, please.”