This past week, a couple things have been on my mind a lot, causing me to worry, be anxious, be unsure of what lies ahead with a couple different situations. Then this verse comes to mind,
"Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." ~Philippians 4:6.
I can't go in detail about the situations, but as I have gone through my days, I feel like God is talking to me through by what others say, through things I read, or even a few things that have popped up on my phone. There have been times where I talk to God and wonder, are You really there? Do You really care? And then I feel terrible, because I am doubting Him, even though I know so much that He is there, He is with me always, He is not forgetting me. On my facebook feed today, a past post I wrote 4 years ago came up, and I felt like it was from God, a little reminder. A reminder from God about not giving up, to trust in His timing, to have faith, and keep believing!! We don't know what God is doing behind the scenes! He is working always, we can't forget that. This was the facebook post:
".... that faith is exactly what it takes to get through uncertainty. Faith is not necessary when you know how things are going to work out, --that's knowledge. It's in the time of unknowing that having faith is what sees you through to the other side. Faith is what gives you strength. Faith is that light in your heart that keeps on shining even when it's all darkness outside. Now is the time to keep that faith alive!...."
I'm not sure where I found that at, or what was going on in my life at that time. But it spoke to me again. Faith... how can one live without it? God is what gives us that faith. He is the one that shows it to us. Hope... another feeling one must cling to. This came up on my devotion this week:"I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me." ~Psalm 69:3 --- It asked the question, "are you feeling tired of trying so hard? in any aspect of your life, relationships, work, family, emotions?" It reminded me, not to give up on hope--- as "Hope is the purposefulness of your tribulations that God has planned to produce the most beautiful story about you. Be patient, strong, and trust in Him."
Then I was reading my "pink book." My mom got it for all my sisters, and that's what we call it when we want to talk about it to each other. It's called "365 Moments of Peace for a Woman's Heart. Reflections on God's gifts of Love, Hope, and Comfort." It's so great, and I would highly recommend it to you. It has helped me a lot! Short little daily reflections. One day this week, it talked about exactly what was pulling at my heart. About God waiting for the perfect time to work. That until we actually see Him in action, we many feel He has forgotten about us. That in time, we will understand how He has been working. And to not give up on our faith, to stay steadfast and true to Him. God has a plan, the most perfect plan, and He will work all things together for our good in due time. Like I said, EXACTLY what I was feeling on my heart. There has been so many times, that this pink book, has hit right on of what was going on in my life at the exact time I read it. I strongly believe it's all words from God.
Then the gospel on Sunday was from Matthew 5:1-12. The Beatitudes. One of my favorite things from the Bible, from Jesus. When I was in Israel, we went to the mountain where Jesus gave the Beatitudes to His disciples. So I always reflect back to that time too, and what we all talked about there. How it's so important to give of ourselves, so others can see the power of God's love in us. To bring the gentleness of God to others. We talked about how wealth can be good, as long as we don't get caught up into it. It can help so many people if used the right way, not being pompous. One's gifts that God gives us needs to be given to others, to share God's graces and generosity with others around us. Bringing others to Jesus, or Jesus to others, is the greatest form of friendship. To share the water of grace. To be saints here on this earth. Jesus is not physically present, so we are his eyes, ears, voice, kindness, compassion, selflessness, love to all those around us.
"Jesus began to teach them, saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.'"
The song we sang at Mass on Sunday had some words of the beatitudes in it, but the chorus, meant the most to me. It's funny how songs lately have seemed to speak to me more at Mass than anything else. Maybe it's the beauty of the music with the words that moves me, I'm not sure, but I am grateful. The chorus went something like this.... "Lead me Lord, Lead me Lord, by the Light of day, to seek and to find the narrow way. Be my way, be my truth, be my light my Lord, and lead me Lord today."
Then today, I like to go to Boys Town 11:40 Mass, as it's soon after I tutor, and only about 20 mins long. It's a nice little way of saying hi to Jesus, and inviting Him into my heart a little more. Anyways, I love the priest too, he's about 90 I think, Fr Cliff Stevens, and he is so smart, he is so full of knowledge. He has the best messages. Today he talked about George Gipp, a Notre Dame football player, that sadly died during his senior year of college. After he passed, the coach Rockne had a saying, "Win one for the Gipper," when times got really tough, and all odds were against them, to just go out and do your best. He also developed seven lessons that football taught him, but we can also relate it to each of our lives. They are skills/graces, but very important and make us humble. So I wrote them down at church, and wanted to share them with you. I'm sure each of us can relate to them in different ways, in different seasons of our lives.
1. the grace to know when to shut up
2. to know when to turn the other cheek
3. grace to know when to sit on our angry
4. when to walk away
5. grace to admit when we are wrong --- to ask for forgiveness
6. grace for the willing to wait
7. and grace of never giving up --- It took Albert Einstein 3000 failures before he invented the light bulb.
Last thing, I know this post has lots of different thoughts... so here's one more. :)
I read something today that a friend wrote, about being able to use our words to express our emotions. It makes me giggle a little, as I hear Kindergarten and Preschool teachers also tell their students "use your words" to teach them how to let them know what they want, or how they are feeling. But we, adults, are the same way. We can't be afraid to use our words to express our emotions. We shouldn't be ashamed of how we are feeling. Society, social media, etc. tells us that emotions make us weak. However, it's the complete opposite. Emotions make us strong. They make us more human. They make us more alive. It's hard to trust and open up to others at times. But we have to become vulnerable in order to grow deeper with someone, and to be able to trust them. It's so important to share with others our emotions, our joys, our sorrows, our laughs, our cries. That's what makes us who we are, and what makes us full of compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. That's what makes us beautiful -- heart and soul!!
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