Posted on by Charly

“Here I am Lord; I Come to do Your Will”

As I tried to sing these words at Mass all I could focus on was not coughing. I have had a dreadful cough for over a week that has kept both my husband and I from having a good nights sleep. To soothe my aching throat and so I didn’t interrupt the beautiful children’s choir with my ugly coughing I stoped signing and merely read the words:

“Here I am Lord; I come to do your will.”

Yes here I am Lord. In your church. With your people. I am here obediently and lovingly worshiping you. I am here because you allowed me to be and you put me into existence. As if that isn’t profound enough I am suddenly struck by the promise I am making in next line:

“…. I come to do your will”

Your will. I am telling God I come to do your will, but so often I do my own will. How do I know the difference?

When discerning His will and making decisions about what to do next we must always keep the end in mind. By this I mean our death in this world and our ultimate meeting with Jesus. When Jesus guides our choices and our actions then we are doing His will. When meeting Jesus is our goal we can’t help but try and try again to follow His commands. In doing so we are trying and trying again to do His will.

Next time I read psalm 40 (I pray that I can sing it without a fit of coughing) I will be reminded that I am promising God that not only am I here because of His grace but I am promising to do His will.

Posted on by Charly

Leaves Were Falling This Morning

“Noooo,” I thought as I stood in my sunroom watching the first fall leaves glide down to the ground.  It is so cliche but; Time Flies!

It is inevitable and I do love the fall it just came so fast this year. Summer was a delightfully exhausting season that now lies in the past. We made many memories that I have begun to hold even more dear as my family continues to grow older at a rate of speed that I can’t always believe.

As I watched those first leaves falling it was just another reminder that time doesn’t slow down. No matter what is going on God holds the universe in existence.  I thank Him for giving us this dependable pattern of seasons.  With all that is constantly changing we can always count on His unchanging love for all He created.

Let us hold life dear and find the blessings in our struggles because like the leaves, we to will come to the end of our season and, unlike the leaves, will move on to eternity.

Photo from Pixabay.com

Posted on by Charly

You Are Loved!

I recall being pregnant with my second child and wondering how I could ever love another child as much as I loved my first. I didn’t think I had any space left to fit another child in my heart. It was already so full. Then she was born and suddenly my heart swelled. I had just as much love for this little one as I did for my first.

This blissful feeling is so overwhelming when a new baby is placed in your arms. It’s not difficult to imagine loving this little human and protecting it from harm. You can easily imagine putting your life at risk to keep this precious new life safe. This love and safety that is automatic towards this new little human is the closest feeling I can come up with to describe Gods’ love for each of us. Of course He doesn’t question if He has enough love for more humans, He tells us to go forth and multiply. He knows He has more than enough love for all of us. It is us, humans, who don’t always have enough room for Him.

When I think of someone who loves me I immediately picture my own mom and dad. It truly didn’t matter what I did they always loved me. I pray everyone has at least one person that comes to mind when they think about who loves them. There is something that is strengthened inside of us when we know we are loved unconditionally. This kind of love gives us courage and a feeling of security.

Sadly there are many people who don’t feel loved. They don’t feel that there is someone that will love them no matter what. We live in a dysfunctional world where love is twisted, confused, and manipulated. Even if no human person comes to mind, or if you question weather those who are supposed to love you truly do there is always God. He never takes His love away. No matter what you have done or are going through He always loves you!

He loves you in exactly the way you need. A way that we can’t even understand completely because it is so unchanging. He doesn’t love you only when you do good. He loves you always and because of this He desires your happiness. He gives us rules to bring us happiness. He knows what is best because He knows each of us so completely. He doesn’t want you to be alone, to be scared, or to feel unloved. He wants to walk with you on this journey and at the end of this existence He wants you to be with Him for eternity.

He loves each one of us so much that He has a plan for good for each one of us. Even if we choose to stray from His plan we can always choose to come back to it. He is so good that He will continuously help us find our way back to Him. He is the ultimate guide to happiness because of His true love for each of us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” John 3:16 NAB

Photo: pixabay.com