Joyful Words Blog
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
– Psalm 119:105
– Psalm 119:105
It hurts my heart when someone I care about is knee deep in something awful. I always want to jump in and try to fix it without realizing our sufferings and struggles are really gifts from the Father. They sure aren’t the gifts we’d choose but they have a purpose, nonetheless and that’s a truth that tastes like vinegar for sure! Today I was driving on a gorgeous sunny summer day praying a Rosary for several folks I know who are struggling. As I got to the third sorrowful mystery, the crowning with thorns, I realized the folks I was praying for each had their own crown of thorns to wear. As I kept driving, I remembered the story of the presentation of Jesus in the temple and Simeon’s words to Mary, “and a sword will pierce your heart”. I realized there are so many folks making their way through long tough days with swords and thorns.
Our thorns and swords can look so different. Sometimes they take the form of grief, sickness, financial crisis, loneliness or mental illness. Often, they leave wounds we don’t see like infertility, disappointment, deep emotional hurt and betrayal. Make no mistake, they all leave a mark! When I got home, I decided to go to Scripture and find out how Jesus and Mary responded to their pain at these two precise moments in time. As Jesus was being mocked and humiliated during the “crowning” Scripture notes that he said nothing. After Simeon’s troubling words to Mary, The Gospel of Luke records no immediate verbal response but instead says, “But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.” They responded with trust, surrender and a focus on God. I just sat with that for a bit and realized these two stories were meant to show us the way…and for us, it’s a long journey. No matter what thorns or swords are leaving their mark in this season of your life here are some thoughts to help with the battle on our journey to accept suffering like Jesus and Mary. *Eyes Up: Mary “pondered in her heart” our peace and strength will come from keeping our eyes on the Father. He goes before us, he lifts us up, he knows the purpose. When all we see is our pain; our thorns and swords, if you will, then we loose sight of the Father. *Remember: God is faithful, and he desires only good for his children. The good he desires for us isn’t always easy or pleasant or understandable, but those thorns and swords pave the way to heaven. *Read The Instructions: Scripture is a huge collection of God’s faithfulness and mercy sprinkled among hundreds of stories of humans who suffer and struggle. He triumphs over evil, peril and suffering again and again. Scripture is a love story of God and his people, and it gives us wisdom, inspiration, mentors and lessons too many to mention. Just remember, he writes the stories, and they don’t always follow our plot. *Three P’s: No thorn or sword is survived without the three P’s. Prayer, partners and patience. We don’t pray as intentionally, frequently or honestly when all is well. The tough seasons are the ones that draw us to our knees, and everything is better when we’re there. We have to ask others to pray with and for us too. God’s timing is perfect, and he absolutely has perfect knowledge of your limits and his grace so be patient and know he is leading you even when you feel all alone. If you or someone you know is in a season of thorns and swords, I hope these words offer some peaceful balm for the hurt. The big request of the Father isn’t “Lord when will this be over”? but rather “Lord, would you walk closer to me and help me feel your grace while I look for all the ways you’re working in this pain?” A Seed To Plant: Who needs your prayers right now and how could this post be helpful? Ask the Lord to show you how he wants to use these words in your life. Blessings on your day!
2 Comments
What are some of the things in this life that you can just count on? Many things in life are fluid but there certainly are things that always stay the same; it gets light in the morning, little kid giggles evaporate a bad mood, and snakes scare the snot out of me are a few of my constants! We can count on lots of things and one of those “sure things” I find great comfort in is the never-ending mercy of Jesus. He will always love us and forgive us…his mercy is so much bigger than our sin; no two ways about it. We all love that thought but there is a little something that goes with his mercy that we sometimes breeze by; repentance.
Repentance isn’t a word we toss around over coffee or a cocktail too often but it’s sure an important word. The definition of repentance is “sincere regret or remorse”. It can make us a little uncomfortable because in order to repent, we have to really stop and process what we’ve done wrong and that’s really NO fun at all. We do everything fast, including this step of the forgiveness process. Sometimes the word regret is used jokingly, like when we refer to wearing a half a can of Aqua Net hair spray on our hair in the 80’s or shoulder pads that made us look like we were headed for a tryout with the Detroit Lions in our teal green rayon dress. But when we’re talking about regret, repentance and the mercy of Jesus, it takes on a whole new meaning. I love fresh flowers and, in my kitchen, and in my classroom, you would often find a bouquet of flowers in the prayer corner. At school, they were arranged in a pretty glass vase that I’ve had for a long time. I remember once at the end of the day one of the middle lovelies accidentally hit the vase of flowers with his backpack. He set it back up on the shelf and we moved on like nothing happened. The next morning the flowers looked a little wilted so I got a pitcher to add water to the vase, and I was shocked when the water came pouring out of the vase as fast as I could pour it in. It seemed that there was a big chunk missing from the back of the vase, so the water just went right from the top through the hole in the back. I laughed and found the piece of glass under the edge of the carpet. I remembered this story recently as I sent my kitchen vase crashing to the floor and with that memory I realized broken vases have a lesson to teach. Mercy is like the water I was pouring from the pitcher. It comes without measure, without end and without cost. Jesus just loves us so much he showers us with his mercy endlessly. We are like that vase with the missing chunk. I could have stood there and poured water all day, but it would have done the flowers no good because they were not prepared to hold on to and receive the benefits of the water as long as they were in that broken vase. In order for that water to be nourishing and life-giving, it had to have a vessel ready to receive it. When we sin, and are in need of the Fathers mercy, we have to be ready to receive it in order to be blessed by its life-giving benefits. If we don’t repent, we can’t fully receive mercy. If we demand the Fathers mercy but don’t express regret or sorrow and a desire to change, we can’t experience the mercy that helps us grow in holiness. It took time, energy and money to purchase all the different flowers that I put in those vases; I sure didn’t want them to wither and die without trying to care for them. Jesus feels the same way about us times a million! I had to get my container right. It took time and I got hurt when I cut my finger on the jagged glass, but it was worth it when I saw those flowers perked up and restored to their original beauty. Truly repenting about our sinfulness can be uncomfortable and sometimes even painful but it’s the only way to prepare our hearts to receive. I hope you’ll find a few quiet minutes this week to get your container right so you can receive the life-giving mercy of Jesus. A Seed To Plant: Ask the Father to help you make a list of the things in your life that require repentance on your part. After you’ve prayed about that list, ask him to show you how to prepare your heart to fully receive his mercy. Blessings on your day!
I was walking through the living room with a load of laundry the other night and paused to see a hunting show Dave was watching. A small group of men were following a guide through brush and up inclines and through tall grass in pursuit of some kind of wild game. The guide led the way whacking out a path with a machete. All along the way the guide was pointing out the dangers and beauty of the trip and it really made me stop and think. The men following the guide had no idea where they were or where they were headed. They were unfamiliar with the path and had only a mental vision of the destination. They were fully dependent on the guide to lead them to the bounty or prize of the day.
I couldn’t get that show out of my mind for several days. All I could keep thinking about was how dreadful the whole adventure seemed to me. As the guide pointed out snakes and beehives the size of Volkswagens and loose gravel near cliff edges, I know for certain I would have turned around within the first few hundred yards and gone back to the camp to drink coffee. On my next pass through the living room, I noticed that the guide had indeed led the hunters to a beautiful clearing with a breathtaking view and exactly the game they had been in search of. After an adventurous hike filled with peaks, valleys, danger, delight and blind faith, they got exactly what they were hoping for. I walked out of the living thinking there was probably a lesson. I have been blessed to share a rough journey with a few friends this summer. Each of these beautiful, strong women has faced fierce battles of different kinds. I’ve laughed, cried and prayed with and for these friends as they picked themselves up and trudged on after each setback. I’ve been inspired by their courage and faith and then it dawned on me; their lives were a little like the hunting show Dave was watching. Isn’t life like that sometimes; tough, dangerous and tricky to maneuver. The wrong turn can lead to more difficulty and forging off in an unknown direction without a guide would certainly not end well. God is an awful lot like that hunting guide. He’s always ahead clearing a path and offering direction and warning. Even in the thick of it all, the only thing he asks is that we stay close and follow his lead so he can guide and protect us on our way to a destination far more beautiful than we could ever imagine. Just like the guide on the TV show, nobody was forced to follow but it sure made sense to do so. I had to ask myself what kind of follower I am. As I think back on that show, I see so many places in my life where I felt like I was stuck in thick brush and he led me through it every time and led me to a place greater than I had imagined. I suppose the next time I get stuck I’ll remember this image of God as my guide and trust and follow a little more easily. A Seed To Plant: Are there some adventures going on in your life that you need to invite God to lead you through? Blessings on your day! Time is a funny thing, isn’t it. It seems we spend minutes and energy lamenting how fast it passes but yet using it poorly. There have been plenty of times I open my computer to check e-mail and then realize I’ve been online for 30 minutes and haven’t even opened my gmail. I’ve heard the phrase “Time is a thief” several times lately and it has made me think about what I do with my time.
This month I’ve had the great blessings of meeting up with family and dear friends in Virginia and Kansas and I have loved every second of it. Some of these folks I haven’t seen if years and my temptation as I walked into those gatherings was to think, aww, I only have two hours and I really need so much more time to catch up but as I was hugging a cousin I hadn’t seen in five years I was overwhelmed with the thought of enjoying the two hours I had and not the hours I didn’t have. Truth is, for some things in life, there just won’t ever be enough time so it requires a shift in perspective. Yes, time might be a thief, but we are the ones who open and close the door to the thief. Kids grow too fast, things change constantly, the past is often fancied up in our mind as it passes by but the here and now…the today…that’s where the important work needs to be done. As I stood in five different Kansas and Missouri driveways yesterday, I realized I could watch my clock and be sad about how fast the visits few by or I could fully engage in the people and conversation we could cram into a precious window of time. As I sit in an airport waiting to board a delayed flight, I’m wondering how this whole time well spent idea relates to spiritual life. The first thing that came to mind was the silly thought that we’re too busy to pray every day. Life gets too full to focus fully on our discipleship and we promise God that we’ll spend some time tomorrow or next week or after X, Y or Z is finished. Sometimes we postpone improvements to our spiritual life thinking we need to get everything organized and planned first when God just wants us to jump in and give him some minutes right in the middle of our messy, nutty days. I’m pretty sure he treasures the minutes we give him instead of counting and focusing on the minutes we should have spent with him. Sometimes we are too preoccupied with all the stuff we cram into a day, and we worry about how busy we are, so we lose our way and forget to ask the Father to manage our time. Time is too precious to waste, but we all do it. As I was typing this post I came across a phrase that made me realize how God was working so maybe these are words for your heart too. “Is the way you lived and spent your time last week the way you want to be remembered? How much time did your faith cost you?” Thank goodness for new weeks to count our blessings and ask him to adjust our perspective and help us spend our time well. A Seed To Plant: Pray about how you spend your time and pray with the words at the end of the post. Blessings on your day! I read a story the other day about a young man who sheepishly approached an older gentleman asking for parts to repair his food truck. He was hesitant to ask because the older gentleman also owned a food truck, and not just any food truck but one of the most popular BBQ food trucks in the area. The older gentleman asked the young man what kind of food truck he had and as he kicked in the dirt a little, he hesitantly answered “BBQ, just like you.” The man laughed, gave the young man the parts he needed and then offered him some advice about how to make his business grow and succeed. Much to the young mans surprise, the guy even gave him one of his famous recipes. The young man thanked him sincerely and began to walk away. He made it halfway to his car then he turned around and said, “I just have to know why you did it? I’m the competition and you just did so much to help me and I gotta know why?” With a big smile the older man told him that he served a Mighty God who had more than plenty of graces and blessings to go around. He went on to explain that one of the greatest ailments in our world today is greedy competition. We forget our mission on earth is to help each other…help them with their health, their success, their family, their happiness and ultimately to help them get to heaven. With a wink, he said “I can’t possibly feed everyone who wants to eat good BBQ myself so I’m helpin you take care of God’s hungry children too.” He asked him if he knew his friend Jesus because getting to know him is the best help imaginable. He’s the one who makes sure graces and blessings never run dry and there is never a moments competition for them.
If we stop and think about all the silly things in a day, we make comparisons about and all the minutes we spend evaluating and processing it seems pretty ridiculous. Maybe it’s human nature to wonder how we stack up in the eyes of our kids, our parents, our friends or our neighbors but the older gentleman in the story is right, God has plenty of grace and blessing to go around whether we’re the best or the 32nd best at something. God isn’t gonna love me more and give me more grace if my kids are the best behaved in church or get the top grades in school. Social media likes and shares don’t bestow more grace in my day. God could care less if my hair is cute, my lawn is spiffy, my thighs are slim, or my cinnamon rolls are blue ribbon quality and always delivered thoughtfully to a neighbor in need. I think some days he’s up there slathering us with grace just because we got out of bed, fed the kids and threw up our hair with a bread twisty! We don’t have to be the best anything, but we are supposed to help someone work toward their best. We’re supposed to lift each other up not be rivals. I had a mom tell me once that she always pulled into the morning drop off lane at school with hair, makeup and a great shirt and it seemed to make her one of the “fancy moms”. What the others didn’t know was that most mornings she was wearing sweats, pj pants, running shorts and occasionally just her underwear with her long fancy shirts, blazers and sweaters. She admitted playing the game for months until one day her son tripped and fell and smashed his science project. As he lay crying on the sidewalk she instinctively jumped out of her SUV and ran to comfort him wearing her fancy top and a pair of her husbands boxers. She said it was one of the moms who had pj pants and a bread twisty hair tie who ran to her aid and gave her a trench coat and a hand with her son’s project. She admitted through tears, that was the day she learned what kind of woman she wanted to be…the kind that helped others rather than competing with them…the kind who wasn’t afraid to look like life was hard some days and just showing up was worthy of blessings and grace. Discipleship is tough work folks and it’s best done with help. Jesus started with twelve but that was the only time there was a limited number! Let’s help each other do the important work of spreading the word and love of Christ…we’re not fighting for “disciple of the year” and God will give us all the grace we need to grow in holiness but I think he might give extra on the days we help another along on their journey to him rather than trying to shove them out of the way to get his attention. A Seed To Plant: Where do you struggle with comparison? Take that to prayer and ask God to help you swap that for a spirit of peace and glimpse at yourself through his eyes. Then begin each day asking him to point out anyone who might need your help this day. Blessings on your day! The kitchen is my happy place and being there feeding someone I love brings me joy and sometimes it’s the place the Father teaches. I’m often humbled with some big lessons while wearing my Kansas Sunflower apron. A few days ago, I was trying a new recipe, and it wasn’t going well. I was sputtering and sassing the recipe because things weren’t going to be ready at delivery time. After a quick prayer and a deep breath, I realized the problem. The recipe was supposed to bake at 400 degrees for an hour and then I was supposed to lower the temp to 200 degrees AFTER an hour…not FOR an hour! A lack of focus and using the recipe as a mere suggestion was the problem. After lowering the temp, it was going to bake another 2 hours for a total of 3 hours not one. The recipe was barely lukewarm after an hour so as I stood there feeling ridiculous and frantically trying to plan a new meal, I got a text and the family I was cooking for had an unexpected change in plans and wasn’t going to be home until the next day. I took off my apron, made a cup of coffee and sat down to thank him for being so fancy and teaching me such an important lesson that remained in the quiet of my kitchen.
A few days after the “lukewarm beef” lesson, I was listening to the Hallow App and a talk about being “lukewarm” in faith came on and I realized he had been preparing my heart for something important. I realized that my faith, like that beef, would eventually get to the end point but it wasn’t the best method. This verse from Luke’s Gospel made me think about the giant difference between a lukewarm simmer and a blaze. I realized how much time I spend with my burners on a gentle bubble instead of letting the Lord enter my heart and crank up the heat. The more I take his word as a “suggestion” instead of following his laws and his truths with careful focus the more time I spend with a lukewarm heart. I like it when I FEEL his love like a blaze. Honestly, I hitch my feelings and delight to my discipleship too tightly. My blaze burns bright when I feel like my prayers are being answered like I want. He’s leading me to believe that his loving grace is what should fuel my blaze for him, and his loving grace is always there and has nothing to do with my efforts and desires. I can’t just turn up the heat when I get what I want but cranking up the gratitude and trust all the time is how I go from lukewarm to blazing. My new prayer is, “Lord, make me hot!” After a few days of thought and prayer, some humbling words from G.K. Chesterton shot straight to the heart of my lukewarmness. I read, “I don’t need a church to tell me I’m wrong where I already know I’m wrong; I need a Church to tell me I’m wrong where I think I’m right.” I spend way too much time thinking about my holiness as a score card focusing on all the “stuff” I get right, the big sins I don’t commit and all I “do for him” which is all contrary to the truth of his love. When I focus on what I’m doing, it’s like pouring a bucket of cold water on my burning love for him, and I can’t see through the smoke! True blaze means I’m constantly focused on what he desires, what he’s asking and where he wants to lead me. A blazing focus means I’m constantly asking him to direct, correct, and connect. My burner stays on simmer when I think he’s asking too much, or I focus on the changes he needs to make somewhere else besides my own heart. Lukewarm means I don’t want to be told I’m doing something wrong, or something less than he expects. As I try out that new recipe again this week I’ll be focused and cranking up the heat in the oven and in my heart. A Seed To Plant: Take some time to pray with the words “lukewarm faith” and the quote and scripture from this post and see where he leads you. Blessings on your day! There certainly are things I enjoy a little extra of! A little extra coffee, a little more time to linger on the porch visiting with friends and family or just a little extra sleep from time to time. One of the lessons my parents were HUGE on teaching was not to be greedy. Clear as a bell I can hear them say, “Be grateful for what you have because being greedy for more is ungratefulness and that’s ugly.” It was a great thing for them to teach me and it’s one of those things that sticks! I was praying with this scripture from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians and I realized that this important lesson from my parents often creeps into my prayer life.
After some thought, I realized that my prayer view slides a little sideways from time to time. I’m really good at asking God to take care of people and situations and the needs of others. I mean, who doesn’t pray every day for people to get better or get jobs or get back on track. I’m really good at praising him and thanking him but I don’t often ask for his riches and heaping doses of his grace. I guess I feel blessed and thankful, and I don’t want to be greedy. Upon careful thought, I realized I was trying to be like an A student to God. I wanted to keep a low profile, do my homework (daily prayer) and try like crazy to keep my nose in my own business and be obedient. I don’t think that’s all God wants for me. That’s actually a little robotic and not very “relationship-ish”. God sent his son to suffer and die so we could be rich. Not rich in the sense of money but rich in his grace, mercy and love. We were made for happiness. We were made to be saints and that’s work we can’t do alone. He’s waiting to give us extra! He spent everything; his blood, sweat, tears and very life to make us rich in him and I was too afraid to ask for personal extras. How crazy is that! It’s not like there is an expiration date on his gifts like a coupon. He will never say, “Sorry Sheri, you should have asked for joy and patience last week, I’m afraid that request is not valid past last Friday.” There are also no limits or strings to our requests either. I’m pretty sure he will never flash a sign like you see in the grocery store on a great deal that says “limit 5 with additional $5 purchase”. He’s not going to run out of grace or attach strings or conditions to his gifts. He died so we could be rich so why am I living like I have empty pockets? I’ve decided that something I want extra of is joy and compassion. I’m going to ask for extra forgiveness and a lot of extra peace and kindness. It doesn’t make us greedy, it makes us trusting and it makes us rich. It doesn’t make me ungrateful because it’s not about me…it’s about him and the things he wants to make me because of his gifts. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to ask for lots of extra things starting today…right after I get some extra coffee! A Seed To Plant: Take out a sheet of paper and across the top write EXTRA-EXTRA-EXTRA and then make a list of all the things you need to ask God for extra of so you can become rich in him! Blessings on your day! Every now and again my planning and praying get a little wrinkled up because the line between His Will and my desires gets a little fuzzy. I can catch myself looking at my discipleship as a checklist and thinking that getting to heaven relies on my extra credit assignments. I’m pretty sure once in a while I hear the clouds whisper “Sheesh Sheri; that’s not the way it works!” It can be pretty easy to think everything is our job and we have to figure things out and be independent but again and again, the Father reminds us that he will take the lead and do the heavy lifting. We forget he’s given us every gift and grace to live out his perfect will for us, but we have to step away from our pride.
I was stuck in my thoughts a couple of weeks ago and spent too much time thinking about all the “sacrificial and penitential things I could do” so the Lord would be pleased with me and I came across a great story that snapped me back like one of those rubber balls on the end of an elastic string connected to a wooden paddle! The story made me realize my thinking was rooted in me trying to look good and do hard things…how goofy is that! I was plotting out my actions instead of asking for God’s grace. The story began with a quote that said, “Good is something you do, not something you talk about. Some medals are pinned on your soul, not on your jacket.” Gino Bartalie. Gino was one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He was an Italian and he used his talent, his disciple heart and his humility to change the lives of many. He was on the Italian Olympic cycling team so he was able to take training rides anywhere and guards let him cross lines and borders that were closed to virtually everyone else. Nobody was aware (not even his wife) that as he trained, he was saving lives. Tucked secretly inside the frame of his bike, he carried photos and freedom documents that helped save the lives of more than 800 Jews. He did what he did not for notice, not for praise not to earn “extra credit” with God. Gino was a devout Catholic man who prayed that God would show him how to do his work with the gifts and graces he’s been given. God didn’t ask him to singlehandedly end WWII; he simply led him to do one training ride at a time to help people he would never meet. Gino trusted the Fathers plan and rested in his strength. Editing our life means tossing out some of the ideas and behaviors that are getting in the way of our finished product. Sainthood is the finished product we’re after. Each day we have the chance to edit a little…one bit at a time. Gino saved hundreds of God’s Beloved one bike ride at a time…Lord help me be a Gino and help me desire only the medals you will place on my soul…the ones only you know about. The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that we have to step away from ourselves because our ways and thoughts are nothing compared to his. A Seed To Plant: Make a list of things you need to edit in your life today. Blessings on your day! Last week I had a front row seat to God being fancy. If I’m being honest, it probably wasn’t just about him being fancy, it was about me noticing and being quiet and letting his work wash over me. The events caught me by as much surprise as an out of the blue sloppy wet kiss from a grandbaby…which is a gift unmatched by anything you can order on Amazon!
We made a trip to Missouri for the baptism of our newest grandbaby and the trip was made extra fun because I got to travel for nine hours playing car games with two of my grandkids…that’s the best…nonstop chatting and playing for hours and just when I thought my grandma heart was full, we got there and added another two grands to the fun. I was happy to spend some extra time in Missouri, but my heart hurt a little seeing the Traverse head back to Michigan without me. I spend so much time wishing everyone would just move into my basement so I wouldn’t miss anything! On my last day in Missouri my heart felt like a ping pong ball in the middle of an intense game. I was happy to go home and see my Michigan loves but saying goodbye to the Missouri loves is so hard. The morning I was supposed to leave, I got a message that the granddaughter I hadn’t seen in a week wouldn’t be coming to grandmas the next day…seeing that little dolly the next day was making the goodbye easier so that was a bummer and I was back to being sad. As I zipped up my suitcase and put it in my daughter’s trunk, I got a text that my flight was delayed. I had no worries, I had a long layover, so I enjoyed another hour…then another delay text and another hour…then another. Finally, the flight was cancelled and that meant I got another night with the Missouri loves. I thought about the text from that morning…God’s so fancy, I think he knew I wouldn’t be home the next day to watch that lovely granddaughter I was missing so all was in order. The next morning, we had some time before my flight, so we decided to spend it having one last long visit at a coffee shop. We missed our turn to the coffee shop and as we were driving around the block to turn around, we saw a long line of kids in uniform heading to morning mass. He’s so fancy…he knew those kids would catch my eye and he knew Shannon and I needed to wrap up a great visit praying together rather than drinking coffee. I wanted to talk to her about going back to work later that week after maternity leave but instead I went to mass with her, held my beautiful granddaughter and prayed for Shannon and work and her family. It was a wonderful mass with amazing music and a church full of kids…so good for the soul. Our hearts were so filled by our change of plans and in one last giant act of fanciness, Shannon admitted that mass left her feeling so much peace about going back to work and the next stage of life with two little’s. She had no idea that was the intention in my heart as mass began but he did…and he let me know he heard the prayers of a worried mama’s heart. His fanciness reminded me that he is the master planner. He reminded me that he is in charge of all the details. He reminded me that he hears our prayers and answers them in his perfect timing. He reminded me that my job is to love whoever he puts in my path, whenever he puts them there. He taught me that no matter how much I love all my people, he loves them oh so much more! He also reminded me that I can’t be in two states at once…but HE can. A Seed To Plant: Where do you need some of God’s fanciness…just ask…he’ll hear you! Blessings on your day! When my kids were little, they had a toy that both entertained and frustrated them. It was a red plastic ball with openings of different shapes and sizes. The object was to insert the correct shape into the corresponding opening. My toddlers couldn’t always see the difference between a circle and an oval or a square and a rectangle so there were many attempts to jam the wrong shape into the wrong hole. Just like my kids, we too sometimes try to make things fit where they don’t quite belong.
We were created in the image and likeness of the God who loves us. Our hearts were meant to fit perfectly in his, but we often forget that and try to pack ourselves into roles where we don’t fit. When the toy pieces didn’t fit together the kids would bang, push, and get frustrated until they slowed down and looked things over carefully and attempted to put the pieces in gently and purposefully. During those times in life when we struggle to make things fit according to our plan, we experience that same chaos and frustration. God has the perfect antidote; rest in him. Only he knows how our life should fit together and he simply asks us to love and serve him while we wait for him to put all the pieces in the perfect spot. The next time we hit that place of chaos and frustration we need to slow down and ask the Lord to calm us down and rest a bit as he puts the pieces back in the order he desires. A Seed To Plant: Take some quiet minutes in prayer to ask yourself if there are pieces in your life that don’t seem to fit together? Are you the person God is asking you to be or are you trying to invent yourself? Rest a while in his presence and ask him. Blessings on your day! For as long as I can remember I have been terrified of snakes. The size and danger don’t matter, I lump them all into the same category…terrifying! I know God made them, I know they have an important role in the balance of nature but none of that matters to me. I’m not sure where this fear is rooted but the mere picture of a snake is enough to catch my breath and make me shiver in horror. (Just so you know, picking the image for this post creeped me out!) I remember seeing a huge boa constrictor in a glass cage at the zoo and my kindergarten teacher held my hand for thirty minutes until I stopped trembling. I always told my students they could bring any kind of creature or critter to show the class except a snake…I’d laugh and tell them I would faint, and they would flunk! You will never find me lifting up a big rock or peeking into a dark place outside and a trip to the jungle will never be on my bucket list because I’d spend every minute of the trip thinking a giant snake would fall from a tree onto my head.
For decades I’ve tried to reason my way out of this silly, giant fear but still it sticks with me but recently it proved to be a powerful thing. I was listening to Jeff Cavins on the Hallow app one morning not long ago and he was talking about this verse from Galatians. I thought quite a bit about the trouble our flesh gets us into. I thought about the desires we have and the overwhelming need to feel comfortable. We don’t like to suffer or struggle, and we want what we want, when we want it. I think it’s the flesh that makes us selfish and stubborn and all of those things are what lead to sin. Sin is what happens when we don’t follow the spirit…when we do what we want instead of what the Father wants. I would imagine a good many of us wake up every morning asking God to help us follow His Spirit, His Plan and His Way but then life happens, and we get sidetracked. He isn’t surprised and He isn’t leaving us because of it; thank goodness, but we’re always striving to do better and I’m betting each of us start our day asking for help to follow more closely and sin less. As I was thinking about all these things Jeff got to a point in his conversation when he started talking about the common fear of snakes and I immediately snapped to attention. He went on to ask, “What would happen to us if we were as afraid of sin as we are of snakes?” As much as I try to avoid thinking about snakes, the thought is still stuck in my head. I think I’d do just about anything to avoid snakes, but I should be able to say the same thing about avoiding sin or things that lead to sin. Since I’m the kind of person who likes to “see” things, this has been a powerful image and for once in my life, thinking about snakes has a purpose. A Seed To Plant: Make a list of things in your life you should be more afraid of than snakes and then take them to the Lord and ask for His Spirit to lead you in His path. Blessings on your day! The story of Doubting Thomas has long been one that made me shake my head. How could he be so…doubtful? After walking with Jesus for so long and being such a close part of his miracles and healings and teachings; how could he not get it? Even if I could understand his doubt on some level I still think “until I put my hands in his side” was a little over the top!
That used to be my thinking until I realized I was Thomas…often! It wasn’t a realization I wasn't proud of, but it was true none the less. My “inner Thomas” looks like this… *Planning, plotting and worrying about so many things as if I’m in charge of everything myself. *Overthinking kids, grandkids, finances and the state of the world. *Fretting about people who are sick, struggling or that I have no influence with. *Sadness about people who aren’t treated justly, fairly or compassionately. My “inner Thomas” can leave me thinking it’s never going to get better and the divisions will just grow and the church will shrink and those struggling will continue to suffer. I stamp my foot and tell Jesus he should do something right now. It’s almost like, “Do this now Jesus and make sure I can see it!” I suppose that’s no different than asking to feel his nail holes. When Thomas realized it was Jesus he said, “My Lord and my God.” I should say the same thing when I see his work in my life. My “inner Thomas” needs to look at the things the Lord is doing all around me instead of the things I think he’s “not” doing. When I see the warm spring days, when I see my perfect grandbabies, when I realize I’ve been given an amazing family, when I hear laughter and receive the Eucharist! When people get well, when people find hope, when a moment of peace sweeps over me or when a grandchild brings me a fist full of dandelions. Every single one of those things is Jesus in action but like Thomas, I can be doubtful. My Lord and my God, please help me see you working and be grateful instead of doubtful. A Seed To Plant: Make a list of all the places you have seen Christ working in your life this month and thank him for the ways he’s trying to dispel your doubt. Blessings on your day! As I contemplate the joy and amazement of this Easter season my thoughts just get lost in the “wow” of it all. How did a stone that big just get moved over? How did the Apostles feel when they saw Jesus again? How must Thomas have felt when Jesus loved him enough to let him touch his wounds so he would be convinced? How must Mary have felt to hold her son’s face in her hands and look lovingly into his eyes again? The list of questions goes on and on and all I come away with is … “wow – I can’t even imagine!”
I think we forget through Jesus’ resurrection we also received a resurrection. He paid the enormous cost for all our sins. It’s not often in life that someone does ALL the hard, horrible, painful work for us and we simply reap the benefit but it happened one Easter long ago. That Easter lives on to this day and as Christians, we’re still basking in the blessings of the resurrection. As I’ve been contemplating the “Wow” of the resurrection, I’ve made a list of things I need a resurrection from. They will take a lot of work and maybe some sacrifice and perhaps even a fair dose of suffering but if I want to share in the joy of Jesus’ resurrection, I figure I’ve got a little work of my own to do. And I suppose my greatest hope is to be more in love with him and more connected to him and even more filled with Easter joy! Here’s my list… *I need to be resurrected from selfishness! A wise woman I know said that complaining is the greatest form of selfishness because the reason we whine and complain is to let others know something happened to us that wasn’t convenient or pleasant and we want attention for it. I didn’t want to believe her but the more I think about it the more “right” I realize she really is! Lord, help me realize the world isn’t obligated to ensure my comfort and happiness. *I need to be resurrected from narrow-mindedness! I’ve got to remember I don’t know what I don’t know! I see a tiny sliver of the situation but if I had the chance to see the whole thing, I would realize how narrow my perspective can truly be! That needs to be my first thought and not my last. *I need to be resurrected from indulgence! I approach the comforts of this world with my hands poised to reach out and take rather than with hands lifted to thank and share. I often want the first, prime choice things for myself instead of being satisfied with the crumbs or the crusts. I approach things and feel the need to grab them up in case they won’t be there later instead of trusting that I will always have exactly what I need exactly when I need it. (You would think by now that I would realize there will not be a world-wide shortage of chocolate chip cookies or mashed potatoes!) My indulgence can border on greed more often than I’d like to admit! Lord remind me all I need is You! *I need to be resurrected from doubt! My blessings outweigh my struggles by a hundred-fold, but I seem to forget that daily! Jesus, heal me of my unbelief…yes, I do think those words were put specifically in the New Testament for me!!!! Jesus didn’t rise by himself; it was through the power of His Heavenly Father. I need to remember that He is my Father too and if I but call on His name and trust in His infinite wisdom, power and love I too will experience a resurrection from all the things on my list. Why do I make it so hard…I call upon His name, I suffer through the process of change a bit all the while remembering He’s got me in the palm of His hand, and I will rise above it and be closer to Him. Seems simple enough…guess I better get to work on my resurrection! A Seed To Plant: What are some of the things you need a resurrection from? As you make your list, read the resurrection story slowly and carefully and allow yourself to be swept away in the “Wow” of the story! Blessings on your day! Happy Holy Week. I LOVE this week. It’s holy and sacred, which means “set apart”. In the middle of this amazing week, I have to ask myself, what will I set it apart for? How will it be different? Jesus and his extravagant love already made it holy but how will I honor that? As I’ve was preparing for this week I asked myself those questions and the Father sent some very simple ideas in response. Today I share those with you and invite you to set apart this week, don’t let it slip by and be ordinary, invite Jesus to make it holy in a way only he and you can.
*Switch R’s! This week go from RUSH to REST. Nowhere in Scripture does it say, “Come rush with me!” Jesus didn’t rush…he went about things in a purposeful, deliberate fashion. He noticed things along the way and he often stopped to rest and pray. This week, find some time to rest…with Jesus, not Netflix. *Get your Liturgy on! Go to Mass on Holy Thursday…we’ve all got stuff to wash from our feet and our heart so imagine yourself at the last supper being tenderly cleansed and fed by Jesus. Be there on Friday, not to re-live the brutality but to face the truth of of how much you are loved and how great the sacrifice that was made on your behalf. On Easter, celebrate not only Jesus’ resurrection but your own…what are the things he can help you “rise from” in your life…take those and offer them to him and share in his Glory! *Give the Gifts! This week shower someone with love for no particular reason. Allow the Father to wash away the guilt of sin you carry in your heart. As Jesus fed us at the Last Supper, reach out and feed someone this week; a neighbor, a shelter or a food pantry. Easter brings the promise of new life, share that promise with someone who is struggling, pray for them, take them flowers, send a message…just reach out to offer hope and joy so they might see His light in their darkness. One final thought this Holy Week comes compliments of a gentleman who shared the most powerful sermon he ever heard. He told me during a Holy Week long ago the priest had the shortest, most heart changing sermon he’d ever heard, and it has stuck with him for many, many Holy Week’s since. He said the priest asked them to picture Jesus on the road to Calvary. Imagine him after one of his falls and as he struggles to get up imagine him making eye contact with you. As his eyes lock on yours, imagine him saying, “It’s ok, I’m doing this for you!” A Seed To Plant: Sit with the short sermon and the suggestions above and ask Jesus to lead you into a week that is truly “set apart”. Blessings on your day! Believe it or not, here we sit right in the middle of the last regular week of Lent. As we close in on Palm Sunday, I’m offering this re-post because it contains so much to consider. I need to read it every year, so I don’t forget how amazing Holy Week is and how he desires to meet me in the unique holy moments of this week. If your Lent expectations didn’t quite match up with your Lent reality, this is the perfect way to finish strong and head into Easter with a joy and prayerfulness that will bring peace to your heart. As Palm Sunday comes barreling toward us, some of you are tired, some are frustrated, some are happy, and some are worried. No matter what you’re feeling as we wrap up this week and head into the next week, I’m going to ask you to put it all on hold and realize this is not just another week. This is HOLY WEEK and more than anything I want this week to be different for you, for me, for everyone who is a Christian. This is a week of powerful sacrifice, love, commitment and glory. The point and purpose of this post is to help you make this week set apart from all the others. I’m asking all of us to lay down our worries, our burdens and our “stuff” and choose instead to walk this week with Jesus.
The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Duluth MN have a spectacular way of living out this week and setting it apart. I’d like to share their Holy Week focus in hopes it will change our focus too. Here’s what they think and pray about each day this week. They actually begin on Saturday before Palm Sunday. I’ve added a couple of questions to each day in hopes we can think about and act on them as we walk with Jesus through this extraordinary last week of his earthly life. *Commitment Saturday - Ponder and pray about the commitment Jesus made to his Father’s plan and will. The commitment he made to our salvation. How have I committed to Jesus? What can I commit to do for him today? *Procession Sunday - Jesus publicly showed his love for the Father. Will I walk with him? What will I do today to publicly stand and walk with Jesus? *Extravagance Monday - How extravagant was his love for us. Read the story of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume in Matthew 26. Her love and her actions showed extravagant love. How has Jesus shown extravagant love for you? Who can you love today? *Compulsion to Completion Tuesday - Jesus was compelled to move forward to do his Father’s will despite doubts, worries, troubles or fear. He was determined to complete the Father’s will. What is God asking you to do for him? Where do you need to add compulsion and completion like Jesus? *Aloneness Wednesday - Jesus knew the next day he would give everything and he paused to be alone in prayer, in silence in the presence of his Father. Spend at least 30 minutes in silence today. Take time to be alone with your Father and His Son pondering the upcoming few days and all Jesus did for you. Read the Gospel accounts of Holy Thursday and Good Friday so you will be ready to think about them in the upcoming days. *Body Given Thursday - Jesus gave everything. His body to the guards who arrest him this night and in the Last Supper, he gave us the everlasting promise of His Body and Blood which were to be poured out for the salvation of us all. What is Jesus asking you to give? Are there people in your life who need the gifts you can offer them? *Impotent Friday - Jesus was powerless on this day. He who was Almighty became powerless for our sake and his Father had to observe it all. That happened for you and for me. Where do you need to submit to the Father? Where do you need to relinquish some power to the Father, knowing all the while he will be with you? From the time you wake up until 3 spend 5 to 10 minutes each hour meditating on the events of Good Friday; walking with him through this sorrowful day. *Saturday - The Day of Night, Jesus spent this day in darkness. It was still, it was waiting, it was quiet. It was a day that with patience, reaped great glorious joy. Where do you need to be more patient? Find a way to practice that today. *Sunday - The Day of Miracles. After you eat your chocolate bunny, make a list of all the miracles God has worked in your life and be sure to put Jesus a the top of the list. A Seed To Plant: Print this one or open it each morning so you remember how to pray your way through each day and say a prayer of thanksgiving for the good Sisters for their Holy Week example. Blessings on your day! If you are looking for the latest example of “How Fancy is the Father” look no further than the cover of the book in this image. It has my name on the front cover, but I assure you that the words on the pages are the work of the Holy Spirit. I never aspired to write a blog much less a book, yet in his fanciness, the Joyful Words Blog and Rejoice Always, Cultivating Joy With Six Saintly Companions are right before my eyes and I thank him for that. I’m so grateful for his faithfulness and I’m happy to offer this work in the hope of helping people see what joyfully living the Gospel looks like.
The book contains “lessons” that begin with a Scripture to open your heart to the Lord’s voice followed by a short story. The six sections are dedicated to the intercession of a Saintly Companion whose life offers inspiration, wisdom and motivation to be a good disciple. The book is designed to touch your heart and help you notice and understand all the ways the Father is working in our lives each and every day. I had so much fun putting the stories together and seeing the way the Six Saintly Companions worked in my life. If you’re looking for a little something to guide you each day as you grow in love, peace, prayer, humility, suffering and trust, this is the perfect book for you. I’m grateful to Our Sunday Visitor, most especially Rebecca Martin, for turning this idea into a finished product and I hope people will laugh, pray, think and draw closer to the Lord as they make their way through the book. If you are interested in purchasing a copy you can order using this link below or you can go to Amazon or anywhere Catholic books are sold. It might be the perfect addition to an Easter Basket or a Mother’s Day gift. This book was a labor of love…for the Father and from the Father and I’m so happy to share it. A Seed To Plant: If you have read the book, could I ask you to hop on over to Amazon and leave a review, this helps get the book into more hands. Thank you! Blessings on your day! https://www.osvcatholicbookstore.com/rejoice-always-cultivating-joy-with-six-saintly-companions.html Now there is a Lenten challenge! Some advice needs to be followed and this power-packed tidbit from Mother Theresa begs to be heeded. I shared this quote during a retreat recently and everyone agreed it would make the world a whole lot better but then one very honest young man said, “But man, that’s just so hard to do.” I told him I agreed completely!
This quote has been heavy on my mind for several days and I’ve discovered it’s much easier to live these words when you’re in control of the situation and interactions are pleasant. When I really thought about it hard, I was pretty good at living this challenge; I would slow down, look people in the eyes when they spoke and be still until they were finished with the conversation. It seemed a bit awkward at first but after a few days it became more second nature. I was feeling pretty good about it until that situation I hadn’t planned for; you know the ones that catch you by surprise and tilt you off your balance. I had one of those situations this weekend and I totally blew it…I was frazzled and almost instantly I reacted, and it wasn’t a reaction that matched the quote! I wasn’t the Wicked Witch of the West or anything but as I replayed the event, I realized my reaction was based on selfishness and pride. A few hours later I was still really heavy hearted about the whole thing, so I stopped to pray about it. (I don’t know why I always wait so long to do that!) After just a few seconds of quiet prayer it was very clear that I needed to apologize. I needed to call myself out on the selfishness and pride. I needed to admit that I was thinking of myself first and others second and I had to admit that I hadn’t left anyone better or happier with my snappy reaction. The more I tried to talk myself out of it, the more I realized I needed to do it and do it soon. After a giant gulp of pride with a huge serving of humble pie on the side, I made the apology and shared the story of my failure to live out this quote. The apology was graciously accepted and thankfully my reaction was a much bigger deal in my mind than in actuality! The funny thing about the whole situation…I was the one who left feeling happier and better. Crazy, I thought that was the gift I was going to give; not the one I was going to get. God is good and lesson learned…for today anyway! Thank goodness God expects progress not perfection! A Seed To Plant: Make it your goal this week to live this verse. Think about the people it will be easiest and hardest to live it with and then ask God to bless your attempts. Blessings on your day! I came across a story and realized it was one of those stories that sticks with you and applies to lots of different things. I found the story in a Lenten reflection book written by Fr. Joe Kempf, and I thought it needed to be shared.
When Thomas Edison was working on improving his first light bulb, he handed the finished bulb to a young helper, who nervously and slowly carried it upstairs, but near the top step he dropped and shattered it. After a moment of horrified silence, the whole team set back to work. It took them 24 more hours of hard work to make another bulb. When it was finished, they needed someone to take it upstairs again, Edison looked around, found the same boy and handed the new bulb to him to do the job. Edison knew that something more important than the bulb was at stake. I think one of the reasons I love this story is because it so clearly illustrates trust, mercy, forgiveness and unselfishness. It made me think of all the things I fuss about. It made me think about all the things I take so seriously. It made me think of all the things I think I have to be in charge of myself. It made me think of all the silly things I believe are so valuable. But the biggie…it made me realize how easy it should be to give second chances and how grateful I am that God is so good at giving them again and again. The invention of the light bulb was a pretty big stinkin deal for heaven sakes, but Mr. Edison realized the human spirit was far more valuable! The whole story makes me think about how I treat others and what I truly value. It makes me think of some advice I got as a young teacher; people are ALWAYS more important than paper and stuff. Maybe this little story will guide us to more compassion and mercy this Lent. A Seed To Plant: Make a list of your top 5 priorities…do they match the way you balance your time and attitude? Make someone feel important today! Blessings on your day! I remember a stage in my early teenage years when my bedroom frequently looked as if there had been an explosion of some sort, and it drove my mom nuts! One Saturday morning I “cleaned” my room, and she made it crystal clear that it did not meet her standards. I had cleared a straight path from my bed to the door and quoted a version of these very words from Johns Gospel and showed her how I had clearly made “a straight way for the Lord”. She assured me he was going to need a much wider path.
My mom’s assurance is true today! I realize I don’t always make the path to my heart straight or wide. I need to give God room to come into my heart and do his mighty works of mercy. I have all kinds of things in the way that make His way tricky to maneuver. I make Him wind his way around jealousy and pride and selfishness. The path hooks to the left when I toss in impatience and judgmental thinking. The way really goes sideways when control, bitterness and gossip get tossed into the mix. Today we find ourselves in the beginning part of our Lenten path, so I ask…how’s it going so far? Do a quick survey of your travels so far and ponder the “give ups” and the “do extras” you plotted out on Ash Wednesday. Discipline and sacrifice are so good for us but be sure to ask yourself if the things you planned are designed to help you grow in holiness or are they things you’re going to pick right back up after Easter? What about giving up things that really change our path? The virtues offer a true depth to Lent for example, a reading about HONESTY popped up in my reading last week so I asked myself the question; how hard would it be to give up lying, fibbing or embellishing for Lent; and could that change us? I shared that thought with some teenagers the other day and they responded with a resounding “YES, AND that would be harder than giving up candy or phone time!” Making straight the way of the Lord means keeping my eyes on Him. When my eyes are on Him and I’m preparing for Him to work in my life I discover I’m moving in a straight and forward direction. He is the constant, the guide that straightens my way every time I re-adjust my focus on His way and not my own. Perhaps as we continue on our Lenen path we can pray for the Holy Spirit to help us identify the road blocks and detours that are in our path and we let that become a re-route or re-focus this Lent. A Seed To Plant: What clogs or kinks the path between Jesus and your heart? Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to straighten and widen the way to His love and mercy. Loving Father, help me prepare a path to my heart that leads me straight to you. Blessings on your day! Welcome to Lent! I feel embarrassingly blessed as we head into this season of penance and sacrifice because as I type, it’s late Tuesday night and I’m joyfully taking my shift with my teeny brand-new granddaughter Paisley. I’m truly steeped in the opposite of penance and sacrifice…I’m actually knee deep in blissful happiness as I study tiny toes and lips and fingers. I suppose it’s all a great reminder that as we begin Lent, we should be mindful that the root of it all is love. We use this season to pull away from ourselves and our desires for comfort and convenience in order to make room for Jesus. The end result of a Lent well lived is more focus on HIM and less focus on me.
One of the great ways we can love Jesus more deeply is to recognize his presence in our days. Perhaps that’s the best way to spend our Lenten days…looking for him; searching for the holy moments that flood our days. Those moments are so easy to find as I snuggle up with this ten-pound bundle of new life but I wonder about the days ahead when things are challenging and dreary and frustrating…Lent is a great time to thank him for all those times and remember he’s there too. Love requires sacrifice…always! As you make your way through Ash Wednesday 2025, ask Jesus for the grace to make this the Lent that your sacrifices and penances will be offered with such great love you won’t want Lent to end. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it and the joy of Easter will be overwhelming. Today is the day to ask the question, “Do I want to be the same on Easter Sunday as I am on Ash Wednesday?” A Seed To Plant: How can you grow in love this Lenten season? Blessings on your day |
Subscribe to Joyful Words Blog
Sheri's writing can also be found at Faith Catholic Publications and on CatholicMom.com
Archives
February 2025
|
Email [email protected]Phone 989.640.6673 |
|
Content is the intellectual property of Sheri Wohlfert
|
Created by Olivia K Design
|