Mark 11:25 NLT

'But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.'

At the start of Advent, it’s a good idea to carry out an audit of your friendship with God. The key symbol throughout Advent is light. We light four candles to mark the weeks of Advent. We are looking to the breaking in of the light who is Jesus, who drives out the darkness of deception and death. And so an audit is to shine a light into the darkest recesses of our life (1 John 1:5-7).

Here in the Oratory, among my prayer materials I have stored an outline discipleship life audit that I use. The audit helps me to take stock of where I am. Perhaps the challenge in the waiting is that there are outstanding issues between God and me. A great place to start is to review my relational standing. Are there people I need to forgive? It’s not a question of if I think the issue is resolved, it’s my choice to resolve the outstanding issue. To simply let it go and lean upon the grace of God, from which I am a great beneficiary. This is the Christian way.

This process is useful. I look at my life in some detail to clear those things that obstruct my view of God. I ask a series of questions that touch upon revisiting my motives for what I do. Am I living for myself, for material gain, personal advancement or to realise my purpose in God?

We are never invited to remove ourselves from life, but always encouraged to continue to make our vital contribution. And this vital contribution is the heartbeat of who God has made each one of us. So the audit may reveal you don’t yet know what you are here on the planet for. Of course, many of us have simply never taken the time to discern our core identity; our strengths, our passion and our quest in life.

QUESTION: When was the last time you did an audit of your relationships with God and with others?

PRAYER: Lord, help me forgive as I have been forgiven, to love as I have been loved by you.