Month: February 2016 (Page 2 of 5)

Stop and smell the roses!

February 18, 2016 / MSFriend / 1 Comment

Stop and smell the roses!

Stop and smell the roses! On Saturday February 13, 2016, I began my morning in prayer as I usually do. First, the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office). I downloaded the Divine Office “app” to my phone so instead of reading it, I use it as a meditation. I plug my headphones in and close my eyes to listen as the prayers are read. As I listened, Exodus 3:1-20 was read. Verses 1-3 spoke to me: Meanwhile Moses was tending the flock of his father in law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the Lord appeared to him in fire, flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight and see why the bush is not burned.” This last sentence made my heart skip a beat. A true “aha” moment because the remarkable sight Moses stopped to look at was God communicating with him – through that I realized that all the remarkable sights I have experienced in my life were God speaking to me. Most recently, the hummingbird feeding out of the palm of my hand (Hummingbird), the cedar waxwings gathering material for a nest, the great horned owl perched atop a tree in my front yard, the vegetables growing in my garden, the sap of sugar maples pouring into buckets hanging off their trunks – all these things and more, which I’ve had the privilege of witnessing are God speaking to me. I’ve had the privilege because as busy as I get I make time to just be and savor the beauty of God’s creation. It certainly takes practice to put things on hold knowing that they’ll still be there tomorrow, but there will ALWAYS be something to do tomorrow. Nothing is ever really finished! So why not take time today to nourish the soul?! This is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. We can learn so much from the remarkable sights God uses to speak to us. I, for one, have learned more about patience, persistence, perseverance, obedience and trust, just to name a few. Moses’ words made me realize that whatever I perceive to be remarkable I must “go over to look at” because it’s God’s way of getting my attention. It’s God’s way of telling me: “Hey you, look over here, stop and smell the roses!”

As I continued with my prayer on Saturday, I moved on to another app pray as you go (hey, if you’re going to give in to the latest technology, you might as well use it for good!) – there I listened and meditated on the Gospel of Luke 4:1-13 which talks about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. The message of Exodus couldn’t be any clearer in this Gospel. After reading the passage, the narrator of the app posed an interesting question: does it surprise you that Jesus was tempted in such a way? Couldn’t he have carried out his mission in a more spectacular way? He goes on to say: Jesus seems to believe His father wants Him to work in quieter, more hidden ways. Think of ways Jesus is working in your life – is He present there with noise and spectacle or is He working in more discreet ways, ways that may often be overlooked by the unobservant.

Two different readings with a similar message: Jesus, in his constant humility, chooses to reveal Himself to us in subtle yet powerful ways. Don’t miss out simply because you have “things to do.” Whenever you come across something that grabs your attention, that moves you heart and soul, don’t ignore it, don’t overlook it – be observant and allow God to speak to you through the remarkable, as he did with Moses. There’s a message waiting, a lesson to be learned in that “remarkable sight.” Go over to look! God bless you!

The Father of compassion and God of all encouragement

February 17, 2016 / MSFriend / 0 Comments

Blessed be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 New American Bible translation)

The first word that comes to mind when I read this is WITNESS. This verse is calling us to take a closer look at our lives – past and present – in order to notice the ways in which God has blessed us. How has God encouraged us on our journey? We are called to share our lives with others, to witness to others the ways in which God has blessed us. We are called to witness especially to those in most need of encouragement.

As believers we understand that we are the branches and Jesus is the vine. We are all “parts” of the one body as we’ve read in 1 Corinthians 12. In essence, the whole cannot function without each part. What this tells us is that we were meant to function as a community, we were meant to live in community. Not only do we need Christ, but we need each other as well. Of course, we all have different strengths and talents and are encouraged to embrace, nurture and share them. Yet, so much of our time here on earth is spent wishing we were like someone else, wishing we lived somewhere else, simply wishing and not living. If we nurtured the talents and strengths we possessed and then pooled them together in community, our world would be a much better place. We tend to forget that all we are and have is through God’s grace and not our own accord.

Besides sharing our gifts, talents and good fortune, I feel this Scripture verse is telling us to share our “horror” stories too. It is telling us to share our shortcomings and shame, because when we do, we will see that we are not alone and we don’t have to suffer or fear alone. It is in the knowing we are not alone that we are encouraged. God gets us through – share with others how He does that. Help them see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your story matters to the community, your story needs to be woven into the fabric of creation, that’s why it exists. Sharing a story works to benefit the storyteller and the listener. It relieves the pressure or shame that comes with keeping a “secret” and it helps us realize that we are all connected in one way or another and it is this connection that heals.

I think of the many different people who have shared their stories – Oprah, Cynthia Bond, Amy Purdy, and many other celebrities and I realize that the common thread in the decision to tell their stories was RELIEF. They wanted to relieve themselves of the poison they held on to. The common result of sharing their stories: a sense of freedom. Their gift to others: a teaching moment. I also think of the many people I know and even some celebrities, Michael Jackson for example, who do not share their stories of tragedy or what they perceive to be shame and the common thread I sense is a loss of freedom, a closed, tortured sense of self, a failure to perceive a teachable moment. In a sense, a lost soul – one that tries and tries to find their true identity but fails and continues to be defined by the false sense of self – a self-inflicted, sad existence. An existence which fails to see the true beauty and benefit of living in community.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 tells us that God encourages us through every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. What does that mean for you? Don’t hold back what God is calling you to share, good or bad. Don’t just sit back and be a receiver. Open yourself up, become vulnerable, become a giver, a healer! Remember you are not alone. God bless you!