“Find a Real Friend in Jesus: Ten Amazingly Easy Steps” by
Gary Zimak could as easily have been titled “The Catholic Guide to a Personal
Relationship with Jesus.” Catholics
often think of a personal relationship with Jesus as a Protestant idea, but
Jesus wants to be close to all of us and not just in our times of need. Jesus “wants
us to turn to him when we’re not in trouble. . . . Once you start speaking to
him more and spending time in his presence, he will share more of himself with
you.” Jesus is always there waiting, but “he will not force himself into our
lives. It is up to us to answer the door and invite him in.”
Zimak offers a roadmap of how to invite Jesus into our lives.
He begins by discussing the elements of an personal relationship. These include
things such as self-sacrifice, commitment, honesty, time together, admitting
mistakes, and having a sense of humor. He then discusses how much God loves us
and the Jesus wants and is able to be our best best friend. “Jesus desires our
love.”
He then lists the “ten steps that will change your life,”
the ten ways to cultivate a relationship with Jesus within a Catholic
framework. Some topics include getting
over the roadblock of not being able to physically see Jesus, the importance of
listening to what the Church has to say, the value of prayer and the
sacraments, the need to read the Bible, why Eucharistic adoration matters, and
how to love our neighbor. Each chapter includes useful summaries recapping the
important points of that section.
Zimak, a full-time Catholic evangelist and author, has a
great enthusiasm for Jesus that comes through on every page. He wants others to
discover the joy that he has found in cultivating a relationship with Jesus, a
life-long process. If one follows the steps outlined in “Find a Real Friend in Jesus,”
one is sure to develop a better understanding and closeness to Jesus. The more
we turn our lives over to Jesus, the more our lives will change for the better,
and the more we will become more Christlike. It is a goal worth striving for.
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