JOYFUL WORDS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri

Path to the Plan

10/7/2019

1 Comment

 
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

For all of us who have ever spit out the words, “Lord, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!”, this post is for you.  As usual, I was wrestling with this question and overcomplicating the answer.  He let me  continue to wrestle with it for a few more weeks and then on a random Saturday, I attended a conference I wasn’t really all that excited about going to and right in the middle of it, I got a very simple answer to what I thought was a genius level complicated question.

The man presenting the class said the path to discovering God’s  will for our life was found in First Thessalonians.  He said it involved three things and then he pointed to the verse you see at the top of this page.  I’ve been thinking and praying about it for a few weeks and here’s what I think.

Rejoice always…I’ve discovered rejoicing has very little to do with my personal comfort and satisfaction.  I’m reminded of Pope John Paul II’s words, “I’m gonna act like I wished I felt!”  When I realize every situation and  circumstance is an opportunity to grow in holiness or grow in selfishness, I need to pick the first one.  God is with me at every turn; even the wrong ones and he will never abandon me if I call on his help and I can’t think of a greater reason to rejoice.  I’m trying to change my “Seriously God!” to “God, not sure what we’re doin here but I’m happy because you’re doin it with me!”  Rejoicing is also noticing and praising him for all the great things in a day; giving credit where credit is due.  “God it’s so great that you…” is a phrase I think and say a hundred times a day.  “God it’s so great that you kept that crazy driver from taking off my front fender. or God it’s so great that you created the pinks of the morning sky, the yellow of my favorite mum and the orange of those pumpkins.”  I call it out when things fall in place, when things go the right way and when they don’t.  Noticing him and rejoicing for ALL of it puts HIM first in my mind instead of myself.

Pray constantly…all things are prayer when we invite him in.  Before our feet hit the floor our first words should be, “Lord thanks for new day, please be the boss of it!”  Every situation is an opportunity for prayer.  “Lord, be with me as I make this phone call. or Lord please take charge of my work today or Lord, please meet me in the laundry and bless all those who will wear these clothes I’m going to wash and fold.”  The more we invite, the more we can turn all of the parts of our day into constant prayer.  He will walk through any task with us if we invite him through a simple prayer.  He wants to join us in the exciting, the boring, the terrific and the yucky.  Truth is, he makes all of it better and if we truly ask him in throughout the day it changes the things we get into.  If I invite him in to my evening office time I’m much more likely to be productive rather than get lost on Pinterest or Facebook.

Give thanks in all circumstances…All of them? Yup…all of them!  When we give thanks for all things, even the ones we really don’t like, great things can happen.  First, if it’s a really lousy situation we’re thanking him for, that gives us a chance to offer that suffering and that is always a powerful thing.  Second, it makes us mindful of his power and grace.  I have a lot of trouble with my knees and every time I walk and it hurts, I say “Thank you for this pain, please take this teeny suffering and do something good for a soul in need.”  I know he will, and it makes things much easier.  My mom told me to never waste my suffering and that suffering was the closest path to Jesus’ heart.  Giving thanks also allows us to recognize God’s hand in our life.  It allows us to see the truth; there is no such thing as luck or coincidence, only God’s providence and the more I notice it and thank him for it, the clearer his Will for my life becomes.  Perhaps these three things will help you discover a path to His plan!
A Seed To Plant:  Copy down this verse and put it into action this week.  See how many times a day you can incorporate these three simple things.

Blessings on your day!

1 Comment

A Big Question

4/29/2019

3 Comments

 
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.  Isaiah 55: 8

As a teacher, I get asked a lot of questions every day.  Everything from, “Is it almost time for lunch?” to “Why do people say mean, stupid things?”  Sometimes I have an answer because the question is routine or simple but often  I’m left asking the Holy Spirit for words because I simply don’t know.  After one of my recent speaking events, a beautiful soul sent a question I didn’t know quite how to answer.  I was neck deep in Holy Week and Easter stuff at school so I could have typed a quick reply in an attempt to take the  task off my to-do list, but the question begged prayerful thought, research and of course the wisdom of God’s Word.  What started as an email to answer a question has spilled into a blog because I’m sure this dear lady isn’t the only one who has this wonder.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, Scripture and a dynamic priest, here’s what I’ve got.

The question sprung from a scripture verse I was talking about that night in a church hall.  We were thinking about Psalm 139:13-14 which reads …you knit me in my mothers womb…I am fearfully and wonderfully made…  It’s a beautiful passage steeped in God’s loving truth but sometimes it comes with a sting.  What if we aren’t perfect.  What if we’re sick, or we have a condition or situation that causes our life to be anything BUT wonderful and perfect.  Did God knit that?  When life is hard or confusing or the suffering is great we often turn to God in our pain and befuddlement and wonder where he is and did he really intend things to be this way.

Here are a couple of things to think about.  First of all, there is no such thing as perfect.  The world pedals that concept constantly but it’s a deception.  There is no such thing as a perfect family, job, or life like the TV commercials would have us believe.  The goal of life is to get to heaven, not to have everything neat, tidy, pretty and easy.  The goal of life is to get to heaven and claim our sainthood, and my friends, the path to that is not so simple.  The holy men and women who have gone before us have shown us again and again that the path to holiness requires sacrifice and suffering.  In John’s Gospel we read the words…In this world you will have trouble…16:33  Even though hard stuff came with a warning label we still shake our fist and say, “What the heck, God!” We have to know that he hears us, he loves us and he is working right in the middle of the messy, imperfect and un-wonderful parts of our life.  He’s using them to bring holiness and lead us home and sometimes that’s a quick trip but more often than not it’s a long journey.

The second thing to remember is that suffering is inevitable.  There are hundreds of commercials out there for stuff to make things quicker or easier.  Heaven just plain can’t happen without suffering and trial; there’s no short-cut  What we do with our suffering makes all the difference my friends.  Suffering without Jesus is just pain without a purpose and it can leave us bitter and fumbling in the darkness.  Suffering united with Jesus brings holiness.  St. Paul said in his letter to the  Colossians, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…1:24  his words are even more powerful when you consider that he wrote those words while chained in a prison cell.  He knew the secret.  He knew that Jesus didn’t die on a cross to take away our suffering but rather he came to transform our suffering.  If we say in our suffering, “Jesus please suffer with me, please allow this “thing” to help me grow closer to you.”  we will give our suffering purpose and the result is redemption. In other words, suffering is our vehicle to heaven.  Uniting our suffering with Jesus gives our suffering meaning and the result is that wonderful, perfect life we’re all working for.

If suffering is our “vehicle” to heaven, it’s helpful to note that no two look alike.  We buy into the crazy notion that everything should be fair and that is yet another deception of the world. When Christ allows us to carry  a sliver of his cross, we grow in holiness and often help others through our personal suffering.  It might be tempting to think it’s not fair because some sufferings seem much smaller or greater, but the reality is, God knows exactly how much we can bear.  My mom suffered greatly when she buried my brother and then again when she battled cancer for 2 years but she always asked God to use that suffering not just for her soul, but for her husband, her children and all those who needed the redemption her suffering might bring to them.  We can never completely see the burdens that others might be bearing…only God can see that and we have to trust in  his wisdom and mercy.

That was a rather long answer to a pretty big question.  I hope it offers some peace, some understanding and some, well, some hope.

A Seed To Plant:  As you pray today, make a list of all the things that cause your heart suffering.  Each time that “thing” enters your mind say, “Jesus join me as I carry this sliver of your cross.”

Blessings on your day!​

3 Comments

It's Possible

10/1/2018

2 Comments

 
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings is impossible, but  not for God. All things are possible for God." Mark 10:27

When my heart is troubled I tell myself, “It’s ok, God can do anything he wants!”  As I watch the events of the world unfold around me and I look at the number of folks hurting and suffering I find myself repeating that line often. One quick look at the news and it’s easy to see why folks are discouraged.  No matter how much I’d like to make things better for everyone,  I am not a wise or powerful woman who can change any of it.  But I can, and will, pray about it and do my best to share God’s hope and love and joy in an attempt to keep those in my corner of the world grounded in this important truth that with God all things are possible. God is calling each of us to remember in times of trouble that if we look carefully, he gives us signs of His love and encouragement every day.

As long as God is in charge, the news will never be all bad, so powered by the hope in this verse, I set out to see what good things God was doing and I was able to fill my eyes, ears and heart with so much “good stuff”. All around me I noticed God’s signals that assured me it’s gonna be ok because of his infinite possibilities!  At mass, I saw the adorable chubby cheeks of a little girl who found her voice.  With each happy squeal I was reminded that babies are God’s sign of life.  At a restaurant I saw a family with five little ones who screeched, giggled and wiggled and I smiled because their parents chose life.  At the Secretary of State office I watched as a very patient, kind hearted 3 year old fed her baby sister dry cereal one piece at a time.

When I stopped for coffee, I noticed a table of men loud with laughter and energy sitting before their open Bibles discussing Gods word.  At the market I watched a young man present an elderly lady he didn’t know a bouquet of flowers to make her day.  In the airport I saw executives with laptops and spreadsheets begin an important meeting with prayer. As I looked with eyes wide open I saw Gods goodness and possibilities again and again.  Sights and sounds that give witness to the“good” in this world.  The happy giggles and delightful squeals and those who gathered to pray, visit, laugh and share in each other’s lives…that’s my signal that as long as we remember the words from Marks Gospel…we’ll be ok.  We aren’t promised perfection, we are promised hope, mercy and love from the Father who created us. We have to remember that with God, all things won’t be perfect but they  are most certainly possible!

A Seed To Plant: Take some time to sit in prayer and make a list off all the things that trouble you.  One by one ask God to handle each item and bring your heart hope and peace, knowing he will take care of them.


2 Comments
    Joyful Words magnet picture

    ​Click on the items below to expand the options available to you to explore the Joyful Words blog.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Corinthians
    Acts Of Love
    Advent
    Ageing
    All In
    Amazing
    Anxiety
    Armor Of God
    Asking For Help
    Bad Habits
    Balance
    Baptism
    Be
    Beauty
    Being Gracious
    Blessed Mother Teresa Of Calcutta
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Brokenness
    Carry Our Cross
    Catholic Education
    Change
    Changes
    Cheerfulness
    Children
    Choices
    Christian Belief
    Christmas
    Colossians
    Commitment
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Consistent
    Content
    Contentment
    Courage
    Crosses
    Crumbs
    Dad
    Daughters Of God
    Delight
    Desire
    Desire God
    Details
    Dicipleship
    Die To Self
    Discipleship
    Dissapointment
    Dying To Self
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Education
    Election
    Encouragement
    Enemy
    Ephesians
    Evangelization
    Exodus
    Expectations
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Falling Short
    Family
    Fathers Love
    Fear
    Flag
    Footstool
    Forgiveness
    Fresh Start
    Friendship
    Fr. Mike
    Fr. Mike Schmitz
    Galatians
    Generosity
    God In Everyday Things
    God In Scripture
    Gods Beloved
    God's Enough
    God's Forgiveness
    Gods Gifts
    God's Guidance
    God's Love
    Gods Love
    God's Plan
    Gods P Lan
    God's Restoration
    Gods Strength
    God's Timing
    Gods Timing
    Gods Ways
    God's Will
    Gods Will
    Goodness
    Good News
    Grace
    Grandma
    Grandpa
    Gratefulness
    Gratitude
    Greatness
    Gretness
    Grief
    Happiness
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    He Chose Me
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Thrusday
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Humble
    Humility
    Identity In Christ
    Intimacy
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    John
    Joshua
    Joy
    Judgement
    Justice
    Kids
    Kindne
    Kindness
    Labor
    Laughter
    Lent
    Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Little
    Love
    Lovelies
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage
    Mary
    Matthew
    Meekness
    Mercy
    Mom
    Mornings
    Mud
    Obedience
    Openness
    Parenting
    Parentng
    Patience
    Peace
    Pentacost
    People
    Perseverance
    Perspeceive
    Perspective
    Philippians
    Pioneers
    Pleasing God
    Poor
    Porch
    Positive
    Possibilities
    Pray
    Prayer
    Priorities
    Promises
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Relationship
    Religion
    Respect
    Romans
    Sacrifice
    Sacrifices
    Sainthood
    Saints
    Samuel
    Scripture
    Seeking God
    Service
    Serving God
    Signs
    Silence
    Simple
    Sin
    Sinfulness
    Slow Down
    Small Stuff
    Steve Ray
    Stillness
    St. Mary's 4th Of July
    Strength
    Stress
    Suffering
    Surprises
    Surrender
    Temptation
    Thanks
    The Right Thing
    Time
    Troubled Times
    Trust
    Trust In God
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unravelled
    Valentines
    Waiting
    Weddings
    Word Of The Year
    Words
    Works Of Mercy
    Worry


    ​Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012


    Back to Home

    RSS Feed


      HOME                        BLOG                       SPEAKING                        WRITING                        HOSPITALITY                        MEET SHERI  

CONTACT: 989.640.6673
Picture
EMAIL

FACEBOOK

Twitter

Content is the intellectual property of Sheri Wohlfert 2017
Created by dhengesbach
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri