How the Lord knows our hearts and tells us what we need to hear...
Psalm 118
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
If God will continue to forgive me, then I need to show as much mercy as I receive.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
There is no reason to fear or be distressed. He has carried me through more difficult situations. Remember...remember how He has been there...
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Blessings abound on even the worst days. If I'm so caught up in what is going wrong, how can I see all that is going right?
And I kept reading...
1Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
The inheritance is waiting for me. My day of rest will come, if I can just stay faithful...
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This life isn't easy. It's not supposed to be. I need to be challenged, otherwise my spirit will grow lax. It's just for a little while compared to all eternity...
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Can I offer Him a sacrifice of praise? Can I love Him, and believe in Him, and thank Him with the love and faith and gratitude that God alone deserves?
******************************
Dear Jesus,
My heart is being pulled in so many directions. I have a great desire to serve, but I am so easily distracted and it is difficult for me to see what I must do.
You made me a teacher and placed within me a deep love for my students. I have cared for them as my own, striving to share with them the riches and truths of Your Church. I have spent hours upon hours pouring into them all that You have taught me. I have loved nothing more than to see them grow in faith and come to know You as their Lord and friend.
Now I am a wife and mother who longs so much to be at home with my husband and daughter. How painful it is to realize that I don't feel like a mom because work and school take up all of my time. The most I have been able to give my baby are the nights we spend lying next to each other with her resting in the crook of my arm as she has done since the day she was born.
I ask You, dear Jesus, to please show me what You want me to do. I woke up this morning not wanting to leave, but when I sat with one of my girls who needed consolation from a terrible loss, I knew that St. Jerome is where I needed to be...at least for today.
I know I need to be patient. When it's time to leave, I'm sure You'll let me know. You always do. I will wait and trust, and I will give You my heart so you may do with it what You will. We both know that it needs some work...
Dear Jesus,
My heart is being pulled in so many directions. I have a great desire to serve, but I am so easily distracted and it is difficult for me to see what I must do.
You made me a teacher and placed within me a deep love for my students. I have cared for them as my own, striving to share with them the riches and truths of Your Church. I have spent hours upon hours pouring into them all that You have taught me. I have loved nothing more than to see them grow in faith and come to know You as their Lord and friend.
Now I am a wife and mother who longs so much to be at home with my husband and daughter. How painful it is to realize that I don't feel like a mom because work and school take up all of my time. The most I have been able to give my baby are the nights we spend lying next to each other with her resting in the crook of my arm as she has done since the day she was born.
I ask You, dear Jesus, to please show me what You want me to do. I woke up this morning not wanting to leave, but when I sat with one of my girls who needed consolation from a terrible loss, I knew that St. Jerome is where I needed to be...at least for today.
I know I need to be patient. When it's time to leave, I'm sure You'll let me know. You always do. I will wait and trust, and I will give You my heart so you may do with it what You will. We both know that it needs some work...
