The Space Between

"Christ Jesus is the same today as yesterday and forever." - Hebrews 13:8

When we're little, God is the old man with a long beard. We ask Him to protect us and give us sweet dreams. When we get a little older, we ask Him to watch out for us, to help us in school, with friends, and for other things we really want, like a new bike. As we get even older, though, we seem to leave our old friend and protector behind. A teacher once told me a story of a newly wed couple who would sit closely together in their truck as the husband drove home. Years passed and the distance between them in the truck got wider and wider until one day, the wife complained to her husband, "why don't we sit close together anymore?!" to which the husband replied, "honey, I've always been in the same place, you're the one that's moved away!"

In this story, God is the husband and we are the wife. God is the same with us today as He was when we were innocent, trusting children. He still sees us in the same way, why don't we? When we suffer and go through hardships and all sorts of problems and blame Him for it to the point where we don't even count on Him for anything, realize that it's that you forgot to trust in Him. You forgot to believe in Him like you did when You were younger. We often go around trying to create these worlds for ourselves without ever asking Him what He thinks and if these things are good for us. God hasn't gone anywhere, He's still waiting for you to come back and run everything by Him! Stop and take a look at your life and how close or far you've gotten from Him. Remember the total trust you had as a child that God would take care of you. Anyone that knows a child knows they speak the truth because they don't complicate themselves with all of the things we do. Therefore, go back to the way you were, and to the God who is still waiting for His child to get close so He could offer His protection.

Today's Prayer:
My God, as a child, You were my great protector and as I got older, I thought I didn't need You anymore. Oh, my God, allow me to return to You with the same innocence I had back then, and also with the same trust. Help me to see that You have been there all along while it was I who moved away from You. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Today

Hey - This is the last email you'll get from me until Sunday. I'll be away at a retreat this weekend and won't be able to write to you.

Here's today's verse:

"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." - Psalm 42:2

I was at the mall on Saturday and I went into the Catholic Supply Store to buy a CD of the Rosary. I added it to my iPod so I could meditate on it while on the train. I was listening to it this morning on the LIRR and I had this amazing feeling; I felt like a child in God's arms. That feeling stayed with me as I got into the city and got on the subway on my way to work. When I got out of the subway, I went to a church by my job that I always go into every morning. Today was different though. I felt in a rush to get there and I started to feel like a little girl lost, missing from her parents. I ran up the stairs of the church in a sort of desperation because this strong emotion was beginning to pour out of me and showed itself as tears running down my face. There was this strong desire in me to be in God's presence and the only way I can describe it is as a little child yearning for their parent and finally seeing them in front of them. As I made my way to the front of the church, I was visibly crying, and not just tears at this point but loud sobs, and I'm sure the other people in the church heard/ saw me and wondered what was wrong with me. But nothing at all was wrong; I felt an immense love in my heart and it was my Lord calling me. I yearned to be in His presence like nothing I've felt before and kneeling there before Him gave me such peace.

Maybe some of you have felt this and maybe some of you are far from this, but the truth is that God really draws close to those that draw close to Him. I'm not perfect, far from it, and God has so much work to do in me, but He is good and along my journey He shows me how close He is to me. What I hope for the most is that all of you one day get to feel this. I hope that you continually search for God every day so that you can see how loving He is and how incredibly good He is.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are so good to me. You draw me into You and my soul thirsts only for You, to be connected to You. Help me to respond to Your call and bring others to get to know Your love. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Sometimes You Have To Be A Child

"Jesus said to them, 'Supposed one of you has a friend and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says: Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is traveling has just arrived and I have nothing to offer him. Maybe your friend will answer from inside: Don't bother me now; the door is locked and my children and I are in bed, so I can't get up and give you anything. But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to him because he is a friend, yet he will get up because the other is a bother to him, and he will give him all he needs.'" - Luke 11:5-8

God is funny. In this parable He is basically comparing us to an annoying friend who comes to bother us and ask us for stuff when we don't want to be bothered! But God is also loving because while our reaction would be to tell our friend to leave us alone, He tells us this story so that we do annoy Him with what we want and need. The point of this parable is very easy - when we don't get what we want, keep asking until God finally gives in and answers us. Sometimes we're not ready to receive what we ask for and sometimes what we ask for isn't good for us, but we need to relentlessly ask Him like an annoying little kid begging for ice cream.

There was something I really wanted the other day so I would visit the church by my job twice a day. As soon as I walked in I'd giggle, laughing with Jesus and I'd say, "It's me, I came to see You again and You know I'm going to keep bugging You!" This is exactly what the Lord wants because through our constant petitions, we do grow closer to Him without even realizing it! Day, afternoon, and night, as we continue to nag and nag and nag, He quietly goes strengthening us and preparing us for when He does give us what we need! So don't be afraid to be a pain! Think back to when you were a kid and wanted that new doll or new toy truck and would bother the hell out of your parents! God has so many things to give us and we need to let that inner child out and just keep on bugging our Father in Heaven!

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the simple things in life and how in You, we can ask for things with the simplicity of a child. Don't ever let me give up if I see You stall but inspire me to keep on seeking You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.