Joyful Words Blog
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
– Psalm 119:105
– Psalm 119:105
We just love options and choices don’t we! It’s human nature to shop for the most features at the best price and snatching up the best deal is our quest. Whether we’re shopping for groceries, shoes or supplies we often spend precious time trying to make an informed choice but this verse from Deuteronomy reminds us we don’t always get a choice. God made it pretty clear in this short verse that we would get both. I love those words, I set before you, as if both are desirable and appealingly presented. Wouldn’t it be great if we could say, “Thanks God for offering both but I’ll take a hard pass on the curse and a double helping of the blessing.” We get a little stuck thinking about both in a positive way because we suffer from “option-itis” or constantly searching for the option that perfectly suits our needs, wants and desires in the most convenient fashion.
I think what this little nugget of Old Testament wisdom is teaching us is that life is a mix of both…there is no option for blessings only. He is the giver and guider and navigator of both. He’s offering them to lead us to heaven which is a journey that will require the lessons learned from the great stuff and the awful stuff. Blessings are easy to understand and lovely to focus on, but the curse or burdens are what most often truly drop us to our knees clinging to our faith. All of it is a gift even if it isn’t what we ordered or wanted. Sickness, financial crisis, grief and family turmoil certainly don’t seem like a very good gift, but He is in them which makes them a vehicle to holiness. The presence of blessings and burdens is so real in our lives and together they lead us to eternal life which is also real! Jesus didn’t speak of heaven as a mystical place, he spoke of it as our home. The next time you’re in the middle of a blessing or a burden, remember the Father is right there with you, and here are the things he’s doing for us in the midst of both: *Healing: the burdens give us the chance to invite him in and the blessings show us where he’s been touching us with his mercy and compassion. As he leads us from burdens to blessings, we have a chance to be touched by his fanciness! *The burdens connect us to the suffering of Jesus which was the ultimate sign of love…suffering isn’t about “repaying” Jesus for his suffering, rather it’s connecting our hard to his and sharing his strength and ultimately salvation. *Character building: We grow in gratitude, prayerfulness and surrender. Burdens allow us to strengthen our obedience muscles and our surrender muscles. They help us grow in trust and help us see with Christ’s eyes and learn to mimic his attitudes and actions. *They restore hope and remind us to cling to Jesus: As the Lord walks us through our burdens and shines a light on our blessings, we realize he knows everything, can conquer anything and can be trusted to love, lead and sustain us always. A longing heart looks for God in both the blessings and the burdens. He gets it, if we’re way more enthusiastic about embracing the blessings than the burdens but we have to have the courage to say YES to both and that means we won’t always know WHAT we’re saying yes to, but we certainly know WHO we’re saying yes to…and knowing that, is enough to get a good start on your journey home. A Seed To Plant: Make a list of all of the blessings and burdens you’re experienced this year and prayerfully ponder where you’ve seen and where you need Christ. Blessings on your day
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These words mimic those we say during the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass and honestly, they touch my heart and stir up a heap of humility each time I say them…I’m pretty sure that’s the whole point! There are a couple of things from this Gospel that can help us all prepare our hearts to be more like that of the Roman official.
I used to get in my own head when I professed my unworthiness like it was a checklist I could waddle through and finally get to the “worthy part”. That feeling of defeat and hopelessness of never being worthy put it all on me but the antidote is the next phrase…”but say the word”. I can’t…but HE can, it isn’t about me. Instead of getting stuck in all that I’m not, I add a thought. Oh Lord I am not worthy…BUT GOSH I WANNA BE! We have to want it or we’ll stay stuck right where we are not moving any closer to the Father and His infinite love. That simple line in my head and my heart catapults me to beg for the grace to do better, be better and claim the truth that I am HIS. If Jesus rang my doorbell today and wanted to come in for a cup of coffee my first thought would be “Holy Cow…give me a minute, I’m not ready.” I would want to fancy up, pick up, fluff up and even then, I’d notice the thousand ways I wished I had more to offer the most supreme guest. I would be so in awe and despite the lack in my home, I would absolutely invite Him in. My friends, that is the Eucharistic Story! We are the home the Lord Himself is entering and you’re darn right we’re not worthy of such a perfect guest, but He wants to come in anyway. In just five words the Roman official gives us a giant clue about growing in worthiness…”I am subject to authority…” Perhaps this is a great place to start because His authority is meant to guide us to our sainthood. His authority needs to trump my plan and my stubbornness! A Seed To Plant: What attitudes and behaviors block my journey toward worthiness? Are there places in my life where I can be more obedient to authority, knowing that will bring peace to my heart? Blessings on your day! When I was a teenager my dad had a blue 1950 Chevy pickup that we called the “Blue Goose.” My brothers thought it was cool; it had a rounded cab, a fifth window and the gear shift on the steering column. It was a classic. I, however, had a whole different opinion. The rule at our house was before you could drive a car with an automatic transmission, you had to learn to drive the truck. If you had a finesse for driving a stick you didn’t have too much trouble with the truck but if you weren’t patient and didn’t do everything right, the gears would get stuck, which required putting on the park brake and getting out to open the hood and fiddle with something under the hood to “un-stick” it. As a teenage girl on the edge of driving I used to have nightmares about that darn truck! I didn’t want to be the one holding up a line of traffic at the stop sign because I had to fiddle under the hood to make the truck go again. As I was beginning to prepare myself for going off to college on a bike, a wonderful thing happened. My high school English teacher who was also my brother’s basketball coach stopped over one day after school. I remember answering the door in a panic wondering what I could have done at school to warrant a visit from a high school teacher!
I quickly came to my senses and realized the reason he was at our door had to be because of something my brother did…not me! As it turned out, the visit had nothing to do with us, but the outcome of that visit impacted my life in a fabulous way! Mr. Cannon came that day to see if dad would be interested in selling the “Blue Goose”. Much to my life-altering delight, dad said yes, and I was saved from the horror of the stuck gears! Looking back, I’m still thankful that I was saved from the “Blue Goose!” I panicked at the thought of being “stuck” and not knowing how to get “un-stuck” so I could move on. I think sometimes in our daily life we can get stuck the same way I was afraid that old pickup was going to. We can become stuck in our worry, and our vision of the future and in our fear of the unknown. Mr. Cannon was the man who saved me from that particular worry, but when the relief wore off, I probably let myself entertain another worry in its place. I’m sure I probably let myself get “stuck” in a whole different spot. I read the other day that humans are the only creatures God made with the ability to anticipate future events. As you might imagine, that is both a blessing and a curse! Some days I’m grateful for that ability and other days I think I’d rather be a puppy, bounding around without a care beyond the current moment. After some prayer and thought on the topic, here’s what I came up with…God gave us that ability so we could trust Him. It is through trusting Him that we grow closer to Him and His will for our life. How often though do we get “stuck” in our worry? When the “Blue Goose” came to mind, I realized there are a million times in my life that I got “stuck” in my worry, and it was all such an enormous waste of time and energy. Sarah Young, in her book Jesus Calling, reminds us to gently call out the name of Jesus when we feel our gears getting stuck in worry or dwelling on future events. He’s there in an instant when we call His name and expectantly wait for Him to deliver us from our worry with His sweet peace. We have two choices, we can either enjoy the presence of worries or we can enjoy the presence of Christ working through our worries and stuck gears. Because we have the ability to anticipate future events, worry is an occasional “given” however, the way we work through the worry is important and it’s the perfect way to build trust in the Father who adores us. Don’t pray for a day free from worry; thank Him for the worry and then pray for the strength and trust to call out the name of Jesus so He can un-stick your gears allowing you to move forward and come closer to Him. A Seed To Plant: Write down all the things that are making you feel “stuck”. Hold that list in your hands and say, “God, Father of Peace, please take the worry of ______from my life and replace it with your peace allowing me to trust You more.” Blessings on your day! Who remembers the commercial jingle that said, “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset all we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way at Burger King.” It may have worked with your Whopper but it’s not exactly the motto for growing in holiness. Even though that jingle is 51 years old too many of us expect our relationship with Jesus to be just like ordering the perfect burger. The truth is, most of us aren’t even sure what it is we really think we want.
Someone recently pointed out that we have so many choices it can be really tough to figure out what we want most. We seem to chase thing after thing. We buy stuff and more stuff trying to figure out what that one thing really is. How many times have we eaten four or five snacks before we really even figure out what we’re really hungry for? I read a question not long ago that made me giggle and think. The gentleman asked, “What do cats like most? Mice, right? So if mice is what the cat really wants why is cat food made from chicken, pork, beef, lamb and fish instead of mouse? I’ve given it a lot of thought and I think sometimes I don’t figure out what I really want because its easier to just try several options and complain when they aren’t what I really wanted than it is to really stop, pray and ponder what I want, examining all the consequences and unintended consequences that go with my choices. Jesus’ question to the crippled man in Johns Gospel was a bit strange but it really digs down to a deeper level; a level I think I need to visit more often. The lame man had been there on his mat crippled for decades. Actually being healed would require responsibility and change for the man, after 38 years Jesus asked a very fair question. I’m sure it made the man wonder how much he really wanted the change that meant moving, pain, work and responsibility. Jesus wanted to know if it was really worth it to him. Blessed Santia Szymkowiak had the perfect answer to the question, “What do you want?” She lived her entire life with one motto, “Jesus make me want whatever you want.” She believed what Jesus wanted most for and from her was holiness. I don’t know about you, but that isn’t my usual thought process, but it sure should be. If I want what he wants, then I can’t always have it my way. If I do things his way, it means change and being uncomfortable; two things we don’t readily sign up for! Burger King made a fortune by making customers feel like they could have anything they wanted and there was happiness because of it. I guess that leads me to ask myself the big question; where do I want happiness; on earth so it can last about as long as that delicious burger or do I want the bliss for all of eternal life? My way will be temporary, his way will be eternal. It’s really what I want most but what am I willing to do; what changes am I willing to make in order to want what he wants? A Seed To Plant: Make a list of all the things you want, and make a list of all the things you’re pouting about because they didn’t go your way. Pray with that list and ask God to show you what he wants for you. Blessings on your day! |
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Sheri's writing can also be found at Faith Catholic Publications and on CatholicMom.com
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