Favorite

“You are to be a people peculiarly His own, as He promised you.” Deuteronomy 26:18

Does God have favorites? In 1582, St. Teresa and her companions left Ávila to establish convents in Burgos and Grenada. It was extremely hard going, the rivers were so high and they could not see the road. They decided to leave their carriage and proceed on foot. The current was so strong that St. Teresa lost her footing, and was on the point of being carried away when our Lord helped her. 

“Oh, my Lord!” she exclaimed, with her usual loving familiarity, “when will You cease from scattering obstacles in our path?” “Do not complain, daughter,” the Lord answered her, “for this is how I treat My friends.” “Ah, Lord, it is also on that account that You have so few!” was her reply.

Choosing to follow God is costly. Loving God is a decision to commit our life to Him. The first and greatest commandment is to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul and all our strength. When we make that choice, we choose good and we choose life. Our life may be difficult and uncomfortable, but the truth is that we can always depend on the promises of God. It will always be worth it to follow God who chose us first to be peculiarly His own.