This is not a “pious statement.” It is, simply, a fact. It is the truth. It is the truth about our lives and about the life of every human being. Christianity does not mean simply "looking at our lives from a Christian point of view." It is not defined by our "cultural outlook" or our supposedly “traditional ideas” or our “theology.”
It is a statement of faith. But faith is an affirmation of reality. It is a way of adhering to the truth.
My life is not meant to be an exercise in trying to apply my theories about Jesus to my problems and circumstances. My life is living with Jesus, really. That is the truth about my actual life, whatever my “theories” or expectations may be from one moment to the next.
Obviously, I’m far from being a saint. I’m a sinner, always in need of mercy. For me, “living with Jesus” means ignoring Him most of the time, trying to manipulate Him sometimes, trying to use Him to my own advantage, but also continually rediscovering again and again that He is really here, that He loves me, and that He is the One who is in charge... of everything.
A living faith means “bumping into Him” again and again, finding Him in reality, finding Him shedding light on things and bringing joy and strength. It means remembering that I have been made for Him, remembering that I need Him, that I have to open my heart to Him in prayer.
It means holding fast to Him in desperation and misery and pain, knowing that He is offering me a share in His sufferings. It means sometimes feeling that I can't find Him, but still knowing that He is with me in the darkness.
