Untie These Knots

     As I hung up the phone, my heart was gripped with fear! The situation, which had started out as a concern and had turned into a worry, was now moving toward becoming a full-fledged disaster!

     “I do not want to deal with this,” I cried out to God. “I cannot go down this route again. Why, Papa? Why?” I knew from the past, there was nothing I could do to resolve this situation. Intervention did not work, but only complicated matters. I felt alone, afraid, and overwhelmed! If the world opened up at that moment and swallowed me, I would have welcomed the action: but it did not. I had to stay just where I was, and not disappear into another world -- free from disaster!


     Sitting down, I pulled an afghan around me. I felt cold and was shaking with fear. Trying to warm up seemed impossible: my shaking continued. As I ran down the road of my imagination, tears began to stream down my face. The negative thoughts only increased my feelings of dread. I could not get my emotions under control: they were running wild!

     Suddenly, I remembered the novena I had begun to pray for this particular situation. It was the fourth day of the novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots. Grabbing my prayer book, I started to pray. There was no change at first: I was still shaking. Nevertheless, I persisted in my efforts to implore heaven: undo these knots in my life! As I began the third mystery of the rosary, my fearful emotions were lessening. By the fourth mystery, peace had filled my being.

      I finished my prayers, thanked Papa and Mother Mary for hearing my pleas and calming me, body and spirit. The situation had not changed, but I was now well aware, that I was not alone. God was with me – no matter what happened. He would give me the graces that were needed. I had to believe that truth and accept the graces, allowing them to affect my attitudes and actions. God was calling me to a deeper level of trust. I must leave fear behind.

     Letting go of fear is not easy. The devil does what he can to keep us gripped in fear and lose our trust in God. He wants us to forget the tremendous and unconditional love God has for us.  Satan throws us into a quandary by inviting us to either run to the woes of the past or inhabit the uncertainty of the future. He does not want us to stay in the present, where the grace of God is available. Succeeding in keeping us from the present, the devil feeds our imagination with all kinds of ideas – none of which are good. He pours it on thick and heavy till he has us where he wants us – filled with fear!

      Recently, at a religious conference, a speaker shared two acronyms. The first was FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real. That’s right – false evidence appearing real. The devil is a master at fueling our imagination and making it seem real. He will get us every time unless we call to mind the second acronym -- TRUST: True Resolve Under Severe Testing.

     When we are being tested, we have to remind ourselves that our Papa loves us madly! If there is a situation in our lives that is difficult, He has permitted it and will ultimately bring good from it. God only permits evil to bring about a greater good, or to keep a greater evil from happening. God is a “saint maker” and we cannot become a saint without being purified of all that does not reflect God in us.

     When we find life challenging, we must remember that God is doing a mighty work in us, which is painful and confusing at times. Cling to Papa! Call out to Him! If necessary, give Him a piece of your mind. He can take it. He knows your thoughts anyway, so He’s not surprised and appreciates your honesty with Him. All deep relationships operate and grow in honest dialogue. Then sit back, listen to Papa and allow His love and peace to flow into your heart. He is with you always and will not leave you in your time of trial.

     Last but not least, hold onto HOPE: Having Our Papa’s Ear. We might think at times, that God appears to be deaf to our cries for help and assistance. He is not. Although the situation we are dealing with my not ever be resolved in the way we’d like, God will give us the grace to deal with it.

     “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it ( 1 Cor 10 vs 13).

     “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12 vs 9b, 10b).

     Although my situation was not completely resolved in the manner I had hoped, it was at least not the disaster that I had imagined it could have been. I had to convince myself to stay in the present moment and not look to the future with dread. I kept reminding myself that since God had allowed this, He could and would use it for my good.

     So in times of trial, cling to God. Do not FEAR. Remember to TRUST and hold on to HOPE.