Not Grown Up Yet

"When I was a child I thought and reasoned like a child, but when I grew up, I gave up childish ways. Likewise, at present we see dimly as in a faulty mirror, but then we shall see face to face." - 1st Corinthians 13:11-12

I find myself telling my little brothers phrases like, "when I was your age…" or "you'll understand when you get older," things my parents used to tell me and I never believed them until now. When we're younger, we think we know it all, until we get older and realize how foolish we were. It's the same thing with God. Sometimes I sit in my room and whine to myself about praying (do I haaaave to??) or get upset when I don't understand something God does. Just as I was childish and impatient when I was a little girl, I am childish now in my spiritual life. We are all childish in this sense because none of us have reached a spiritual maturity which surrenders to and obeys God's will perfectly. In the meantime, we are like whiny little children who unreasonably complain about things that don't seem fair to us, who get mad when we don't get the toy we want and get jealous when someone else has it.

We outgrew our human childhood (most of us, I hope), let's work on developing our spiritual maturity so we can reason like adults and accept God's perfect will in our lives. One day, as Paul says here in his letters to the Corinthians, we will be face to face with God Himself and all will be made known to us. We will understand everything instantly and then we will be able to look back at our lives and how little we know now.

Today's Prayer:
Father, I ask that You take me by the hand and lead me. I know I whine and complain, but please have mercy on me. Show me how to speak and walk. Guide me in all of my steps until that day when I grow up and am able to understand it all. Most importantly, give me patience to take all the baby steps I need to make. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Hope

"Let us hold fast to our hope without wavering, because He who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:23

When we are being defeated in a tough situation, the last thing to go is hope, and hope is the most important thing we need to survive. Our hope is what keeps us alive no matter the winds that are blowing against us. That's why when we're going through suffering, our hope and faith in God is the first thing the devil subtly attacks. First come the questions such us, why is this happening to me? Then it's anger against God and believing He does not care. Slowly we build up a bitterness against Him where we can't even pray. I know; I've felt like this before. But please, through the storm, remember this verse - hold on to your hope in God. He is faithful although it might seem to you that things aren't going to get any better. Scripture says in the book of Habbakkuk to set your eyes firmly on what you want (keeping hope alive) because the Lord will make it happen for you. Take your eyes off of how bad things are and how much you're hurting and focus on how big your God is. Your God is a king! Your God is Almighty! Your God is working on your behalf to help you now! Keep your hope alive! Set your hope on Him because He is faithful.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, break through the hurt and disappointment I feel. Sometimes the enemy gets in my head and leads me to think You don't care and have abandoned me. Fan the flame in my heart and keep my hope alive so that I can see Your love and mercy in my life. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Waiting...

"One day some Aramean soldiers raided the land of Israel and took a young girl captive who became a servant to the wife of Naaman." - 2nd Kings 5:2

As the days in your life pass you by, do you ever feel like nothing changes and instead you're always waiting for something? To meet the right person, a new job, or maybe for a certain problem to go away? I remember telling my friend that life sometimes feels like I'm swimming along the shore of a quiet beach with still waters, waiting and waiting for the right waves to come, but other times, I'm caught in a bad storm and the waters, like for Peter, can't calm down soon enough. But during all these times, when nothing seems to be happening, we're still praying and we're still asking God for certain things to come our way, yet there seems to be silence. It feels like for all of the years we've lived, there are few days that stand out as memorable like our graduation, meeting our first love, getting our first job.

Yet, I have to remind myself how limited my vision is. I only see what I can perceive and am completely in the dark as to what God is doing. Naaman, the man mentioned in the verse above, was the commander of the Aramean army. He was an extremely powerful and prideful man but had been sick with leprosy for a while. By the power of God, Naaman was healed with the help of the prophet Elisha in the Jordan River. It was a day that changed and restored his life, but that single day doesn't sum up all the work God put into it. While Naaman was sick with leprosy in Aram, a young girl was born in Israel and grew up believing in God and seeing the work of His hand through Elisha. When the Aramean army raided Israel, they took this young girl captive and she landed precisely in Naaman's house to work for his wife. It was then that this girl saw her master's illness and spoke about the power of God to this family. This motivated Naaman to visit Elisha and become healed.

God knows what you are waiting for! Even though it feels like nothing changes, God may even be planning on uprooting people, like with the Israeli girl, just to come into your life and bless you! Give it time, the master of the universe is at work and His works are seamless and perfect. Until then, try to wait with hope and peace, awaiting that one day God is ready to show you what He had been working on all along.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I want to thank You for all of those things You're doing behind the scenes. I pray that You grant us patience and perserverance to wait it out and to never ever assume You're not paying attention. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Love

"Love is patient, kind, without envy. It is not boastful or arrogant. It is not ill-mannered nor does it seek its own interest. Love overcomes anger and forgets offenses. It does not take delight in wrong, but rejoices in truth. Love excuses everything, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." - 1st Corinthians 13:4-6

I think that this is one of the most beautiful passages in the bible. I know a lot of couples use this for their readings on their wedding day at mass, but the theme that Paul touches upon here is much broader than just romantic love. All values, beliefs, commandments, everything is based on love and the kindness we show to others. And the most important part of this love is that it be sincere, not showing love because we feel it's appropriate at certain situations, but to really, genuinely express love to others in the form of service. Love isn't love when we wait for others to do something for us first. Love isn't love when we keep a checklist of what others have done to us. No, love forgives, love first seeks the others' comfort before we seek our own. Love never ever rejoices at the downfall of another. Love expects the best out of people and love can withstand anything, even the biggest offenses. True love that comes from God can do this.

Not possible you're thinking? Guess again. I've heard of people that have forgiven the murderer of their own child. People that have put their own lives at risk to help strangers, like the man that jumped in front of a subway train to help someone who had fallen on the tracks. And then we have Jesus Christ, who gave up His own life for us while His enemies laughed at Him, eventhough He was able to save Himself. None of this happens over night, but if you don't at least take baby steps every day to try to achieve more love each day, more service to a stranger, more patience to someone who gets on your nerves, you will have no love inside of you. No love is really having no life because all that is inside you is dead. No one could ever love you in the right way because you could never show them true love. But to achieve this we have our Lord to help us, who gives us much more than we could ever ask for or imagine, if we do truly seek to love as He loves.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, show me to love as You love. Right now, I can only really love those who love me and even then I don't serve them as I should. Open my heart, strengthen it so I can have the courage to forget all offenses in Your Name. Show me how to love perfectly and serve all of Your children, from the least to the greatest. In Your Name we pray, amen.

How To Accept Others

"Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace." - Ephesians 4:2-3


I'm an idealist. I take everything for face value and have often been called näive. Honestly, I believe everyone should be able to get along, speak openly and understand one another and it's been super painful to realize that this isn't the case, especially within families. I was reading Ephesians one day and came across this verse above. I was so struck by the word "bear." Saint Paul says we have to bear with one another. Me, being an idealist, thought to myself, "why bear? They were Christians! They're supposed to love each other and everything is supposed to be great!"But obviously, it wasn't if Paul had to address this issue.

And I'm coming to realize that people will always have issues with others, no matter how much love there is. We are all different, and that's ok because it's the way God made us. Some of us are punctual, some of us are always late, but either way, God made us all in those ways. We, and I do this a lot, tend to judge and think that if something isn't my way, then the other person is wrong. I've learned I have to grow as a person and understand that I'm not right all the time and I need to stretch and accept others the way they are. That's why Paul says to bear, because there will always be issues, differences, misunderstandings, but at the end of the day, we need to work in peace to find a solution. We need to treat others with kindness and try our best to understand and accept others for who they are. We need to learn to bear with one another, even when they're not stretching for us.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to my own injustices. Thank You for teaching me to understand that different isn't wrong and I'm not always right. I pray that You bring this deep understanding to others so that we may all treat one another with kindness and learn to bear with one another in peace. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Waiting For God's Answer

""Yahweh, how long will I cry for help while you pay no attention to me?' Then Yahweh answered me and said, 'Write down the vision, inscribe it on tables so it can be easily read, since this is a vision for an appointed time; it will not fail but will be fulfilled in due time. If it delays, wait for it, for it will come and will not be deferred. The proud will never possess my favor, the upright, on the other hand, will live by His faithfulness.'" - Habakkuk 1:2, 2:2-4

Habakkuk was a prophet that called God into account. He would cry out and ask God why certain situations were happening and why He would not show His help in anything. Sound familiar? Each of us has something that's hanging on our shoulders while we cry out to God for help. But when? When will He finally answer us and show us that He's listening and He actually cares?The Lord gives us hope in His answer to Habakkuk. God tells him to write the vision on a tablet for all to see and easily recognize. Therefore, all people will have that plea to the Lord before their eyes as a solid reminder of their hope in God. What is it that you're waiting for? Show your hope in God by keeping it before your eyes always, so that when it's answered, you will see it and know that God came through. But here's the key to this, God comes through at the appointed time. We only know about what we want and when we want it. The Lord, who governs the universe, knows the precise moment to move in order to give you the answer to your prayers with the most blessings possible. Just when you think you can't hold out longer, you realize He's making you stronger and you grow in faith and perserverance. God's timing is perfect; it never delays but arrives exactly when He knows we need it the most…not when we, in our limited vision, think we need it. This is why the Lord says that the upright, those who wait in the Lord, will be blessed because they trusted and made it through out of love for the Lord. Yet the proud, meaning those who are impatient and set out to try to do things on their own, on their own terms, will fail. They seek alternate means, even seeing psychics, horoscopes, proving their lack of confidence in God. That's why their prayers aren't answered sooner and why they receive no comfort during the wait. With what enthusiasm will the Lord want to help those who "cheat" on Him while He was planning great things for them? We need to remain in the Lord, keep our needs before our eyes, and trust in Him because He has never let anyone who truly seeks Him down, and never will.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, through this wait, I trust and hope in You for Your ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Guide me and help me be patient, always increasing in trust in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Betraying Thoughts

"O Lord, how great in number are my foes! How numerous are they who rise against me! How many are they who say of my soul: 'There is no help for him in God.' But You are my shield, O Lord, my glory, You lift up my head." - Psalm 3:2-4

I'm not sure how many real enemies I may have but I know that my worries are many and the things that make me sad are many; they are my foes. And sometimes it feels like they all come up against me at the same time. Then, like in the psalm, these problems rise against me to tell me there is no help in God. I've been praying, kneeling in God's presence and I've heard voices in my head saying, "there is no one there, there is no one to really help you, just give in to your sadness." But you know what, I've learned two things - a. This life will always be full of problems and b. The enemy will always try to take away whatever good God is trying to give me. Although everything just feels like it's against me and I can't see a way out and I just feel so helpless and alone, I set my hopes in my God because I know He will not abandon me. It might take some time before I see these worries go away, but through my hope in Him, He gives me strength to make it through the day. It might not be the best day and things might not be going my way, but He will come through…He always has.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You don't need to search my soul for You know the sadness and fear that lurks within. You know the betraying thoughts that float around my head, but You are bigger than this Lord and today I ask You to come and descend upon me as Your child. Guide me and show me Your love and protection. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Did God Answer Your Prayers Today?

"Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" - Matthew 7: 9-11

I know what it's like to keep asking God for something and not see it come. I know how it feels to ask for something with tears streaming down my face and see the opposite of my prayers come true. But this is one of the principle things from the bible that you need to know - God, your Father, knows so much more about you than you could ever possibly know, so He knows what to give you and when. We do not know what's best for us because I've wanted one thing one day and something else the next, and I'm sure you've gone through this. Today I lost something that I really, really wanted and prayed for, but instead of getting angry with the Lord, I gave Him thanks because He who knows me better than I know myself has much better things for me down the road and I'm excited to see those things. These blessings He gives freely and abundantly to those that consecrate their hearts and faith to Him.

Some of you are parents, or uncles, aunts, big sisters or brothers, and you would never give a child something you knew was not good for them. In this, you are like God, but your vision of your own life is so limited. As you want great things for these children, so does the Lord want great things for you. Learn to perfect your prayers by being open to His will. Never become angry because what you might consider a prayer not answered, is actually God delivering you from something harmful while opening the door to a hidden blessing.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for being so good to me. You always have my best interests at heart and move to bring larger blessings into my life. Help me at the moments I struggle so that I can accept Your Father's will with joy and hope. In Your Name we pray, Amen.