TRUST ME

     “Do you believe that I am the Son of God? And do you believe that I died for all men and women and that I rose from the dead? Then why do you continue to be distracted and anxious about your loved ones? Do they not also belong to me? Would I refuse to work in their lives just as I work in yours? I have not put you in charge of saving them. Your task is to love, to forgive, to pray for them and to turn them over to Me. Come closer to Me yourself and I will do the rest. TRUST  Me!"                      Author Unknown

     As I entered our adoration chapel, I saw a dear friend. We hadn’t seen one another for a little while because she’d been away, visiting family. No one but Jesus was in the chapel, so I bent down to give her a long overdue hug and welcomed her back.

     I sat next to her, and she asked me about my cares and concerns. When she was away, I had texted her, to ask for prayers: I was experiencing spiritual suffering. She is a mighty intercessor, and I knew her prayers would make a difference. Although I was uniting my suffering for my special concerns with Jesus, it was still very difficult. 

FATHER KNOWS BEST

 

    “You are right where God wants you to be. God is not mistaken. You may not see it, but put your trust in Him, and be PATIENT. He will bring about His plan for you, in HIS time. HE is calling you to surrender. HE knows what HE is doing. HE doesn’t make mistakes. You are where God wants you to be.”

My Blog and I

     “There is much emphasis on notoriety and fame in our society. Our newspapers and television keep giving us the message: What counts is to be known, praised, and admired, whether you are a writer, an actor, a musician, or a politician.    
     “Still, real greatness if often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive. It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation. We must have strong self-confidence combined with deep humility. Some of the greatest works of art and the most important works of peace were created by people who had no need for the limelight. They knew that what they were doing was their call, and they did it with great patience, perseverance and love.”  
                                                                                                        Henri Nouwen


     Today, April 21, 2017, Avia Joy is three years old! But before a word was written, or a story told, she was in the mind of God. She was His gift to me!

"AH HA"

    “God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we have patience.”                 
                                                                                               Oswald Chambers


    “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

     There have been many times in my life when God has given me the vision: the ability to see the solution to a struggle I could not overcome. Along with this revelation, comes a great confidence in God and His willingness to help me overcome myself and my struggle. It is what we call an “ah ha” moment, when life’s problems seem to be surmountable. “Nothing will be impossible with God”   (Lk 1:37).

Begin Again

     “Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”       St. Francis de Sales



     We are smack in the middle of the fourth week of Lent. We may have started out strong with our Lenten resolutions and practices. At times, it almost seemed effortless! We were pleased and amazed with our sacrifices and mortifications, well aware that it was indeed the grace of God that made it appear so easy. Then it happened – we left the valley of ease and began to spiritually scale the challenging peaks of Mt. Everest! We realize we are not mountain climbers and wondered how we even arrived here. It was not part of our plan. Our route was all mapped out. So what changed?

Do Not Lose Confidence in God

     “Do not surrender your confidence; it will have great reward. You need patience to do God’s will and receive what He has promised.”                                                                                                                                                                                            Hebrews 11 vs 35-36



     As I spoke to my spiritual director, he listened attentively. I was sharing with him struggles I was experiencing and how I was at odds with the situations. I wanted so much to be able to “fix” things, but knew I couldn’t. I didn’t understand why they were happening.

Patiently Enduring

     “In this existence in time and finiteness, we constantly find the tension between what man is and what he would like to be; between that which has been realized and that which remains to be accomplished. And it is patience which endures the tensions.”                                     Romano Guardini



     How impatient we can be with both ourselves and others! We expect that we, and they, should have “arrived,” at the state of perfection to which God is calling us. We grow restless and annoyed with faults as they exhibit themselves, and wish for a magic wand to make them disappear instantly and effortlessly!

He Has a Good Memory

     “Go and find Him when your patience and strength run out and you feel alone and helpless. Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel. Say to Him, ‘Jesus, You know exactly what is going on. You are all I have and you know all things. Come to my help.’ And then go, and don’t worry about how you are going to manage. That you have told God about it is enough. He has a good memory.”                     St. Jeanne Jugan


     We all have days when we feel alone and helpless, and find that our patience and strength is fleeting. We don’t see solutions to our problems, or are just too weary to even think about them. Life at those times seems burdensome and throwing in the towel is an attractive alternative.

Stand in hope

“Hope is patience with a lamp lit”                                                 Tertullian


     Something stirred within my heart when I read Tertullian’s words,  “Hope is patience with a lamp lit.”       I felt as though I was engulfed in darkness – without any light. His words caused me to entertain the idea that, just maybe, there was a dim flicker of which I was unaware until that moment. The possibility that hope was present in the burden that plagued my soul began to dawn on me.