Praise be Jesus Christ! Praise be His most Holy and Sacred Heart! God, You are good! You are all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving. You know when we sit and when we stand. You read our hearts, write Your laws onto them, and continually mold them to make them like Yours.
Thank You, God, for all thy benefits! Thank You for when our electricity works, and even when it does not. Thank You for sunshine and the rainfall. Thank You for the seasons of life that help us realize how constant You are even as things continually change around and within us.
Forgive us, Lord, for the many times we place our wills, our plans, our desires above Yours. Forgive us our forgetfulness and short-sightedness. Forgive us, God, for our complaints and lack of trust. Forgive us for it all!
It seems that the seasons of our lives offer us many opportunities to grow in their unique way. I am quite well- seasoned, having many years of experience and proceeding through phases and stages of life and all that it can bring. I was reflecting on how much I have changed in many respects through it all, and how much more room there is for improvement! Some things that at one time annoyed me or threw me into a rant that lasted too long and were endured by others unnecessarily, now rarely cause a reaction.
Just this week, I had several appointments canceled unexpectedly. Years ago, when I was much younger and wrongly thought so much was in my control, that would have caused an awful lot of stress for me. Changing of plans, running late, or someone not keeping our agreed upon appointment — they all would have derailed my day and everyone I encountered would have known about it. Oh my! How they would have known about it!
This week, I noticed, I did not even blink an eye! I responded instead of reacting, and how God used this growth! Most importantly, one of those cancellations allowed me the quiet and stillness I needed to really sit, pray, and listen for that still small voice. Secondly, it opened up a chance to minister to a broken hearted teen in such a way that he was sending me consoling quotes to help others. Lastly, the change in plans allowed time to help a friend who needed to talk through something. These cancellations were unexpected by me, but planned by God, who used them to nourish the Body of Christ of which all baptized are a part. Is that not just like Him to take something that most would consider an annoyance, and turn it into opportunities! He is so good!
I definitely cannot state that I always respond instead of react, but it was such a grace to have noticed this small growth. I nearly giggled out loud upon reflecting how excited God must have been to see it as well, especially after all those years of giving me countless opportunities that I did not respond so graciously. He is relentless in drawing us nearer and nearer to Him.
Have you had an opportunity to reflect on how you have grown in an area of your life? Are you a quick learner, or has it taken you many seasons to show some improvement in an area that needed it? We must share our struggles and our victories – no matter how small. The enemy loves to use the lie that we are alone or isolated . We are not; we just forget to share it all with each other. Share, share, share!
Photo by Miquel Parera on Unsplash
