“God’s will for you is Godself. When you, in the freedom of your will, want nothing but what God wills—that is, you live by and for the ever-deepening consummation of this union in love—then these two wills are united in love.”
James Finley, Daily Meditation 10/12/17
It took me a few times reading this, and then a little while praying with it, before I said, Well, maybe. OK. I have always felt God appreciated my suggestions for how my life should unfold. I'm the one living this life, spinning around on this planet. But, as I’ve grown in faith, I can see two things: First, I recognize that the deepest desires of my heart were actually placed there by God. My desires for what I think may be my will, are actually God's will for me. God doesn't want us unhappy doing God's will! The second thing is that God has better ideas than I could even dream up. God has surprised me so many times, just by pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I’m awed by just the idea of wanting nothing but God’s will for my life, but, thankfully, as I grow spiritually, the two wills are closer than they may appear. Love, heidi
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Travel lightly...
"Lose your money for relative or friend; do not hide it under a stone to rot. Dispose of your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High, and that will profit you more than the gold. Store up almsgiving in your treasury, and it will save you from every evil."
Sirach 29:10-13
A wise friend pointed out that this seems to be our journey at this point in our lives. I sure feel the urge (a rather urgent urge, too) to let go of material possessions. Today's Gospel (Luke 12:35-38) has Jesus telling us to ready ourselves for the master's return. We sure don't want to be wrestling stuff out of the crawl space when that time comes, do we? We are asked to travel lightly on this planet; carry little and leave only footprints behind. And yet, the message of the commerce-driven world is "Buy, buy, buy!" Since I have been more and more aware of this recently, the ads I hear ring particularly objectionable. "You save 10% if you spend over $100!" Dearest God, forgive us! Help us to dispose of our treasure to benefit others. May our letting go fill the pockets of those in need. May we grow to share, not just from our surplus, but even what we're using right now. If I have two, help me to give one away...and, at that, help me to part with the one if someone else needs it. Love, heidi
Sirach 29:10-13
A wise friend pointed out that this seems to be our journey at this point in our lives. I sure feel the urge (a rather urgent urge, too) to let go of material possessions. Today's Gospel (Luke 12:35-38) has Jesus telling us to ready ourselves for the master's return. We sure don't want to be wrestling stuff out of the crawl space when that time comes, do we? We are asked to travel lightly on this planet; carry little and leave only footprints behind. And yet, the message of the commerce-driven world is "Buy, buy, buy!" Since I have been more and more aware of this recently, the ads I hear ring particularly objectionable. "You save 10% if you spend over $100!" Dearest God, forgive us! Help us to dispose of our treasure to benefit others. May our letting go fill the pockets of those in need. May we grow to share, not just from our surplus, but even what we're using right now. If I have two, help me to give one away...and, at that, help me to part with the one if someone else needs it. Love, heidi
Monday, October 23, 2017
Mind the gap!
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
Matthew 22:21
I usually just pay attention to the first part of Jesus' statement here--give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But as I reflected on this Gospel, I paid more attention to the second part--about paying to God what belongs to God. I wondered, What belongs to God? What does God want from me? I've been getting rid of a lot of stuff lately; is that what God wants? My mother's china? In the Franciscan Way course I'm taking online the answer is spelled out beautifully. God desires that we see all living things with God's eyes of love. God wants us to close the gap between ourselves and all living things...we are all One. So when I revisited what God wants from me it was fairly clear, though not easy. God wants me to close the gap with others, especially those with whom I disagree or with whom I may struggle. I thought of that expression in the UK around the public trains, "Mind the gap!" I decided to make it a little mantra, reminding me that my differences with others are in my own mind. In God's eyes, we are all loved and treasured beyond our own imaginations. We are all creations of the Living God, who loves every cell ever created. Love, heidi
Matthew 22:21
I usually just pay attention to the first part of Jesus' statement here--give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But as I reflected on this Gospel, I paid more attention to the second part--about paying to God what belongs to God. I wondered, What belongs to God? What does God want from me? I've been getting rid of a lot of stuff lately; is that what God wants? My mother's china? In the Franciscan Way course I'm taking online the answer is spelled out beautifully. God desires that we see all living things with God's eyes of love. God wants us to close the gap between ourselves and all living things...we are all One. So when I revisited what God wants from me it was fairly clear, though not easy. God wants me to close the gap with others, especially those with whom I disagree or with whom I may struggle. I thought of that expression in the UK around the public trains, "Mind the gap!" I decided to make it a little mantra, reminding me that my differences with others are in my own mind. In God's eyes, we are all loved and treasured beyond our own imaginations. We are all creations of the Living God, who loves every cell ever created. Love, heidi
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