"Come; take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Can you hear Christ Jesus calling you today as you are tossed by the tumultuous waves of life, however they may appear in today's world? When we feel overwhelmed, we may hear the Beloved call us, as have so many others over the centuries: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."(Mt.11:28) Even if we are merely curious, wondering what all this is about, like Moses at the burning bush (Ex.3:3), if we are open to receive, we may hear our name being called with the invitation to "Come and see." (Jn.1:39).

Whenever we do hear the invitation, we so often hesitate. I am reminded of a young girl playing jump rope with her friends. Two are turning the rope in circles toward her to draw her in, and yet she hesitates. She moves toward and back, toward and back until she finally gets the courage to jump in. She has to be ready. Or you might imagine someone standing on the brink of a deep spring. His friend is already in the water calling, "Come on in--the water is fine," but he hesitates, maybe sticking a toe in the water to see how cold it is. He has to be ready. Each of us has to be ready to accept the invitation of Love.

The Holy One waits for us to be ready to move into a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Beloved before issuing the invitation. But when it comes, it calls for action on our part; "come" is an active verb. If we hesitate, however, God continues to wait, to find ways to reach us, to entice us into the Divine Presence. The Beloved longs for us to come freely into the steadfast embrace of Love so that we may enjoy the fruits of that relationship.