Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

It has taken me 47 years to fully realize that without Jesus at the centre of my life, I am completely lost. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. With a bit of effort, I am able to present well enough on the outside, but my heart quickly hardens and my soul starts to wither when I turn away from Jesus and seek life in other places. 

In Jesus we have hope. In Jesus we are reconciled and reunited with God, the one who created us and breathed life into us. In Jesus we are healed. In Jesus we are offered forgiveness and new life… eternal life.

I trust Jesus with my life and long for closer intimacy with Him, yet every day is a battle. A battle to say no to distractions and temptations and yes to a wholehearted relationship with Jesus. 

Many years ago I came across a prayer written by St. Patrick, the 5th-century missionary and Patron Saint of Ireland. Below are a few lines from that prayer:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.

I love praying these lines. I change them up and add my own words depending on the day, depending on the situation. This helps me stay focused and centred on Jesus.

Stay close to Jesus today. Invite Him into every part of your life – your grief and your loneliness, your fears and your anxieties, your shame and your guilt, your sickness and your fatigue, your joys, and your successes. Jesus is waiting for you and loves you more than you can imagine.

In this together, Duncan Hunter