Giving Christ Room

Most of us know a few people who are so full of themselves that you can’t really have a relationship with them. We rarely think of ourselves in these terms, but with regard to our relationship with Christ, the question is worth considering: Are we sufficiently empty of self to allow room for Christ within us? In her book Grace in Every Season, Catherine de Hueck Doherty put it this way: she tells us to “give Christ room, not only to grow to his full stature in you, but to have a place within you to roam as he may wish, a place for him to breathe and stretch.”

It is intriguing to think what our life would be like if we allowed Christ to grow to full stature in us, to give him room to breathe and stretch and expand our horizons. One person who achieved this goal was St. Gertrude of Helfta, whose wholehearted devotion to God allowed her to empty herself to make possible the Spirit’s in-dwelling. As a result, she described herself as “happy, carefree, and liberated.” She had gained the inner freedom to overcome fear and worries and unconditionally follow her convictions.

St. Gertrude learned from Jesus to let go of her ego by being humble of heart; in this sense, she took his yoke upon herself and found that the burden was light. As a result, she had a joyous attitude, and love of and praise for God flowed from her.

Richard Rohr says that we come to know God by loving God. That advice sounds simple, but to love anyone, we have to shift our focus from ourselves to the beloved. When we let God be God in us, we are able to shed our false self and replace fullness of ourself with the fullness of joy, freedom, and the fruits of the Spirit.