June 2016 - Page 2 of 4 - Shepherd of Faith

In Your name!

In Your name I find meaning! God never ceases to amaze me. I wrote recently about feeling spiritually depleted and how returning to my past routine of prayer and worship is helping me get my spiritual energy back. Slowly but surely I’m feeling more inspired to continue writing and I pray everyday to find ways to inspire others. Today, as I was driving home from church I was listening to the radio and heard Trisha Yearwood’s song “Broken.” I had heard it before and I liked the beat but I hadn’t really paid much attention to the words. As a matter of fact, it was one of the songs she sang live for the Passion performance in New Orleans (which I watched). Well……….prayers answered yet again – I guess I was ready to receive it today. As you know, I often share songs on this site that I feel are inspirational, that bring tears to my eyes and/or that stop me in my tracks. This is another one of them.

I’d like to take some time to elaborate on what I think it all means. I’ll share a paragraph of lyrics and then share my thoughts in italics. At the end I’ll share the link to the song as Trisha sings it. I believe the original version was sung by Lifehouse, an alternative rock band – that version is nice as well.

Broken

Verse 1: The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight; Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time; I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts; I am damaged at best, like you’ve already figured out.

A broken clock doesn’t keep time, so the common preoccupation with rushing around to be on time for appointments and things we have over scheduled for ourselves is no longer there. There is no distraction in a broken clock. Waiting and doubts – doubts of the existence of God or the knowledge of His Presence around us. From Him we can keep nothing hidden.

This song describes our journey through life on earth. No one is immune from heartache and suffering. Life is filled with hills and valleys, ups and downs. The chorus expresses what we feel while in the valleys.

Chorus: I’m falling apart, I’m barely breathing, with a broken heart that’s still beating; in the pain there is healing; in your name I find meaning.

That moment when we’re overwhelmed with life. We’re so anxious that we can barely breathe, but we are aware that our heart is still beating because we can feel it practically beating out of our chest. During that time we remember Jesus and gain strength from our trust in Him knowing “this too shall pass.” We understand there’s a bigger plan and that it is in our weakness that we are made strong!

Verse 2: The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head; I tried my best to be guarded, I’m an open book instead; I still see your reflection inside of my eyes; that are looking for a purpose, they’re still looking for life.

We are an open book to God. He knows everything about us. The book of Jeremiah says: “before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Psalm 139:1-16, one of my favorites, reads: Lord, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand, you understand my thoughts from afar. My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach. Where can I hid from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too. If I fly with the wings of dawn and alight beyond the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand hold me fast. If I say: “Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light” – Darkness is not dark for you and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one. You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped before one came to be. Seeing His reflection inside of our eyes – we are made in His image and likeness so when we see our own reflection we are getting a glimpse of the Divine through the windows of the soul; the eyes are looking for a purpose, looking for LIFE because when we begin to fulfill our purpose here on earth THAT is when we truly begin to live.

Verse 3: I’m hangin’ on another day; just to see what you will throw my way; and I’m hanging on to the words you say; you said that I will be OK.

Complete trust in God – hanging on in difficult times and looking forward to what God has in store, knowing that what He promised He will deliver.

Verse 4: The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone; I may have lost my way now, haven’t forgotten my way home.

In our lives there are moments of darkness where we lose our way, when the light of Christ has dimmed. During these moments we fool ourselves into believing we’re all alone in this place but by the grace of God we find the courage to get back on track – we remember we’re not alone and we remember where we belong: in the bosom of our loving, merciful, compassionate father. He’s waiting with open arms. We are the prodigal child!

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of the song. Take some time to check out the song here. You won’t be disappointed. God bless you!

Shake it off!

Shake it off! That’s what I say to those who feel spiritually depleted. I’m there often. No shame. Sometimes I’m on fire! I’m inspired to write often, I have a constant smile on my face, I want to do everything I can to please the Lord. I pray a lot, I attend mass often, I meditate and it’s as if all is right with the world. I have time for everything, all goes according to plan and even things I didn’t expect or plan come to pass. But then there are times, like these past few months, that are trying on my soul. In a nut shell, I’ve been distracted – I’ve felt unable to quiet my mind, my patience has worn thin, I’m easily angered – there’s a sense of “fogginess” in my brain, a loss of clarity and focus. In my quest for holiness I recognize my “one step forward, two steps back” and I am disappointed at myself for falling short, then I recognize the pride implicit in that thought. So I SHAKE IT OFF! My God understands my humanness and He is constantly working within me, so I need not fret. It’s all a part of His plan – the grace filled moments, the blessings AND the stumbling blocks.

As I mentioned earlier, these past few months have been trying. At times I have felt as if God were afar off. However, when I focus and “slap myself back into reality” what I realize is He wasn’t afar off at all, I was! I was off balance. My normal routine for many years now has been to attend mass, meditate and read Sacred Scripture, daily. However, for some reason, in my distraction and spiritual laziness I had changed my routine. Even my eating habits had changed. Once I realized what I was missing, why I was off balance and started my routine again, my outlook changed. I am certain that in addition to eating right, I need to meditate, I need to devour the Word, I need to receive Christ in the Eucharist as often as possible. All these things are what keep me focused, they are what bring me joy, they are what give me peace. Just as it takes time to get off balance, to lose oneself in the daily obligations of life, it also takes time to get back into balance – balance doesn’t come the instant you decide to regroup. Balance takes time, it takes work, it takes awareness. I’m trying to rebuild my balance now. I know I’m not all the way there yet, but I feel much better.

Do you feel “off balance?” Are you distracted? Do you feel spiritually depleted? There’s nothing wrong with that. Remember you are human and never underestimate the transforming power of God – His voice, His Word, His Body and Blood. Scripture says: draw close to the Lord and He will draw close to you! So remember, if He ever feels “afar off” it’s because you’re not doing your part. It takes two to tango! God bless you!