Do you know what’s more difficult than surrendering everything to Jesus? Giving Jesus a little less than everything in an effort to feel like you still have some control.

It’s exhausting to try to limit our surrender to what feels comfortable. Understandably, we long to know that everything will be okay, but self-reliance only leads us to carrying heavy burdens and separating ourselves from the One who loves us. Ultimately, we lose the peace, joy, and communion that we are seeking.

In our exhaustion and anxiety, our God meets us and renews our strength with his love. By surrendering our challenges and trials to his inexhaustible kindness and by choosing to believe that He is who He says He is—a Father who loves to provide and a Savior who loves to save—we can begin once again to tap into his promise of abundant life.

On this beautiful Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I want to remind you that, in those places of your heart in which you are most fearful of surrender and trust, part of your inheritance is access to the wounds of his Sacred Heart. He is inviting you to place your fears and doubts in His open side and to let His love wash over your suffering and burdens. Our faith will surely grow as we allow ourselves to be held in the heart of our crucified King.