After a long absence, I am finally back with my latest blog post. My apologies for taking so long to return to the bloggersphere. Life has been beautifully busy with many things on the go, most joyfully, my marriage to the most amazing person in the whole world! I have never known and experienced happiness as profoundly as I have since being united by God to him about 9 months ago!
With life's changes and new experiences, I found that my habit of writing this blog fell by the wayside. There always seemed to be one thing or another I needed to do first before this, and then, as tends to happen to us all, I would forget. The longer it had been since I wrote my last entry, the less it was on my mind. But, lately, I have felt God gently nudging me towards getting back into the habit of writing to you, and most significantly so today. So, here I am!
Having been so greatly blessed, I truly feel it is not only my duty but also my sheer joy to share the word of God's love with others. With that, let's take a look together at the beautiful nuggets of God's amazing love in today's Mass.
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Today's readings, and particularly the Gospel, lovingly implored us not to be bogged down by earthly worries and concerns. Specifically, we heard that we should not focus our energy on comparatively trivial things like our clothing or our food. More broadly, we were warned against getting ensnared by the mires of doubt, worry, and anxiety.
From a young age, I have been a worrier. I recall rather clearly spending sleepless nights in grade school, worrying about one thing or another. Today, as an adult, I still find myself to be a bit of a habitual worrier.
There always seems to be so much to worry about. What if this goes wrong... What if I can't do this... What if things don't go my way... What if... What if?
Worry can be exhausting, emotionally and even physically. We lack sleep, we lack concentration, and we lack focus on the better, bigger picture, beyond our worry of the moment. Worst of all, we lose sight of the fact that, as our Mass readings told us today, we are called to have unwavering faith in the Lord.
The Lord loves us so immensely, so unconditionally, that we cannot truly describe or even conceive of it. He loves us so amazingly, and as such, He will never lead us astray. He will always be there at our sides, protecting us, strengthening us, and guiding us along our way.
We just need to trust Him, place our hand in His, and stride confidently onward, knowing that whatever happens, our hearts are in God's keeping. He knows what is best for us, beyond what we can comprehend, and so we need only believe and trust.
In keeping with this theme, my choir sang "Trust and Obey" by Big Daddy Weave. Here are some of the lyrics, and a Youtube link for your viewing and listening pleasure.
- When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.- Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
- Refrain:
- But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey. - Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Trust and obey. Easier said than done? Perhaps. When things are going great for us, and problems are happily few and far between, it isn't difficult to recognize God's blessings and gifts to us, provided we 'stop and smell the roses' and take the time to reflect. Rather, it is when our road is full of obstacles, stumblings, and frustrations that it can be difficult to identify and appreciate God's workings in our lives. However, this doesn't mean that they aren't there! God is always there, doing marvelous things for us, even when things seem the most bleak - perhaps especially when they do!
We have probably all experiences losses, setbacks, and failures, and, at the time, didn't understand why these things happened. However, I truly believe that each experience, be it seemingly good or bad on the surface, is a positive stepping stone down the journey of our lives, a journey which God has personally and lovingly crafted for each and every one of us. I can now look back at past hurts and difficulties that I so disdained at the time and realize that they were actually priceless gifts that helped move me along my journey in a more positive direction, towards my husband, my job, and my personal and spiritual growth. I can thus feel grateful for the experiences which previously caused me pain. How awesome is that?
Let us try to bear this idea in mind when we feel bogged down by our earthly worries. Despite all the what ifs, when we truly surrender ourselves to God's love and His will for us, we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that no matter what happens, no matter whether things do or do not turn out the way we think they 'should', God's providence will ultimately play itself out in the best possible way. We may not see it immediately, but we just need to be patient, and trust in the Lord's goodness and benevolence with a humble and hopeful heart.
If we are not to worry about earthly things, what should we worry about - that is, on what should we focus our emotional and physical energy? Today's readings gave us that knowledge, too - we should focus ourselves on doing the good works that God has intended us to do. We should focus our energy on prayerfully discerning God's will for us, and patiently, positively, and perseverently carrying it out. Yes, there will be challenges along the way. That is inevitable. But, anything worth doing is worth doing right, and worth doing all the way - and what is more worth doing than fulfilling God's plan for us?
Moreover, as both the readings and the song "Trust and Obey" tell us, surrendering ourselves completely to God is the key to experiencing the greatest possible joy. It is not that life will always be supremely easy. Instead, it is knowing that even when we face difficulties, we can never be truly down and out because God knows and will lovingly provide what is best for us. In this way, we can persevere, and can find something positive in any situation, which will even better equip us to continue to do God's will and spread His love and mercy to others.
To truly love and serve God is to know true joy!
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Fully embracing and living out an attitude of spiritual surrender and a triumph over worry is not an easy task, and cannot necessarily be done overnight. We need the support of those around us to help us put aside our personal, worldly worries and to instead offer everything up to God. My husband has been incredibly helpful in inspiring me to adopt this way of thinking and feeling, and I am so very grateful. Furthermore, let us always turn to God through fervent, humble, passionate prayer, asking Him to help us cast aside our worries and focus on carrying out His will instead. We can ask Him for the physical, emotional, and spiritual strength, loving patience, and humble compassion needed to do so, and we can in turn ask him for renewal when we stumble along the way.
The Lord is reaching out His hand to us.
Will we fully trust in Him, and reach back?
I pray that we will!
May God bless you, today and always!
- Karen
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