CHOICES

It could well be the greatest gift God has given us,  the freedom to make choices in our lives, 

what we want to do / who we want to be / where we want to go etc.

A person who is able to follow through with the choices they make will be guided by grace.

God so wills for us to be happy and will help us, yet will not interfere with the freedom we have been given, the freedom to choose. 

If we are clever in the best sense, then we will stay close to God and listen to all the promptings that come our way.

First and foremost, be aware of the gift of making choices.

Reflect and pray regarding all the choices we make in our lives.

Then choose to be guided by peace of mind always.

Simple steps to freedom.

Adventure

It's common to look for adventure in our lives, whatever it might be.

We like to be surprised / delighted/ faced with new ventures that spur us on creatively.

Our lives are an adventure in themselves.  

We have no idea what the future has in store for us, so it's good to have an open mind and also a spirit of adventure, open to new happenings.

God has such love for us that we can be pleasantly surprised by all that happens, in and around us.

As a  Christian we have the added interest of knowing about Eternity and all that has yet to be.

However, we are and will be inspired to live each day, like the gift it is.

Treasure each day and let our adventurous spirit reveal itself.

TRUST

For the religious-minded person, trust in the goodness of God is essential.

We may never know or understand tragedies that happen in this suffering world of ours and yet are asked to believe and trust that God's loving Hand is there directing us in our grief.

Pope Francis made a point about the value of suffering and how important it can be in our lives. When we leave our understanding and perhaps anger behind, then we can use our faith to know that God is present, helping us with our pain and worries, whatever they might be.

Faith teaches us to walk with God and know that we are never alone.

The invitation that comes to us is to trust in the loving, compassionate nature of God.

SUNRISE

What a wonderful sight, to watch the sun rise on a winter's morning!

I cycled over to the Murrough this morning and was so pleased to see the sun begin to rise behind the clouds, adding a golden shadow and turning the sea waves into a stream of molten bronze.

How difficult it must be for an artist to capture, as it quickly changes from one picture of splendour to another, portraying the glorified expression of the wonder and beauty of our Creator.

God spoils us with the magnificence and splendour of nature.

As artists we can express the glory of God and perhaps is this way, find our path to heaven.

JOYFUL!

Now that winter is coming, we may miss those lovely, bright mornings of summer.  

Darkness comes instead.  Should we moan our loss OR enjoy the seasons as they come.

In the world of Poetry, each season presents a special beauty to be admired by us.

We can be filled with joy at the reflection of our Creator as portrayed in nature.

This is the wonder of God's love for us, always presented with beauty for the admiring eye to see.

We admire the poets and the gift they have with words.

Let's be joyful of He who inspires us with the wonder and beauty of nature.

Listen to the Heart...

Today, being the feast of St. Therese who is often called, 'the Little Flower' is a good time to focus on what our heart is telling us. She is known and loved for her childlike approach to life.

In a healthy body, our heart is pumping away, keeping us happy and fit, so too when we 'listen' to what our heart is telling us we are able to love and care and see goodness all around us.

We are almost like two people, one part of us is full of logic and reasoning and the other part of us is childlike and able to put happiness and loving before everything else.

We don't need to have a battle with ourselves, we just need to put love first. 

Listen to your heart!