“Who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15

Such a question I pose to myself after reflecting upon Jesus’s humble ride upon the colt of an ass into Jerusalem that hot Passover morning—A stunning question that lays open my heart. It seems like he’s always been with me.

True, meditation, scripture studies, retreats, recovery meetings, and conversation with others have fanned my response for decades, but it’s the experience of Jesus of Nazareth that lasts: one that speaks wordless love and mercy, not without scrambling my words. He just is.

When absent, loneliness sets in like bats flitting through vaulted caves. Yet, with Jesus’s return, longing burns anew.

It wasn’t always like this, often sidetracked by instinctual demands for easier and softer ways of doing life, despite its inherent hardships. Such waywardness produced even more misery that worsened my chronic illness and joint pain. Recognizing gospel teachings within the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous has made all the difference, grounding me, afresh, within Jesus for another twenty-four hours.

And living with terminal illness has deepened this focus. With months slipping into years, it can’t be much longer. Then we shall see face to face. I Cor. 13:12.