Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Strength in Weakness

Being unwell is not a familiar state for me. I pride myself on being in good health, yet life can surprise us.  An unexpected 'tummy bug' and I find myself reduced to weakness.

How does one deal with weakness?  A good question to ask as we can find ourselves in a state of weakness in some form or other. It could be a injury, a bereavement, or a simple cold. 

Often, it is the surprise of finding ourselves weak that bowls us over, and so we must learn to deal with whatever comes our way. We need the solace of strength that comes from loving our weakness, knowing that God is helping to mould us into a better and more balanced person.

To find Strength in Weakness is a blessing we receive when we have the insight and wisdom to see God's loving Hand in all that pertains to our lives.  



Friday, September 24, 2021

LOVE ONE ANOTHER...

Saint John, who had been so close to Jesus, had a simple message, 'Love one another...'  He was passing on what Christ had told him, that we are called to love one another as God loves us.

This is a fine message and one that we would love to believe we practise, yet do we? Are we able to embrace one another, without prejudice of any kind?  

This challenge is put before us each day, to live out the message of the Gospel, regardless of how we feel /or think / or personal likings, and which can be so much a part of our personality and way of life.

Of course, God knows we are flawed and often fail.  God loves is unconditional, regardless of how often we move away from His love, it does not change God's love for us..

To become God-like we are called to love one another, just as God loves us,  unconditionally. What a wonderful challenge to face each day, and so become a truly loving person.



Friday, September 17, 2021

PEACE


It's important to become aware of our peace of mind, and allow this awareness to develop and mature, so we can be strong when adversity comes along.  After all, we are dealing with a flawed nature, both in ourselves and others. Even those we love dearly, will at times provoke our balance of peace.

Also, being challenged in relation to our state of peace is good. We become as a pupil in the school of life, learning to be a better person. We are helped in a positive way to grow spiritually, and our peace will help us to become a truly christian person, open to all the graces that God would love to shower upon us.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

A GRATEFUL HEART


 People are often measured by how grateful they can be.  Some of us can have a lot to be grateful for and yet, we could easily slip into seeing what we have not, rather than all we have.

The saying... 'the glass is half-full OR the glass is half empty...' can be a simple measure for us,  especially in small things.  We may develop desires for many things, and lose sight of all that makes us happy.

Looking back on our lives, we can find good examples of how to be grateful, and grow in this wondeful virtue.  My father was a hard-working man, yet gentle in many ways.  Whenever difficuties came up about money, he would say, 'as long as we have food on the table and a place to call home, then there is no need to worry.'

I remember as a child, having a great desire for a bike, yet I knew bikes were expensive. One day my father surprised me with a bike. It was old, second-hand with a black frame and purple mud-guards.  It was a struggle for me to pretend to be happy, because it was not the shiny bike I wanted. 

However, in learning to ride the bike, I had such fun and so I learned to be grateful, and to see that our desires may not come as we would like, yet in being grateful, we gain the gift of gratitude and happiness.


Monday, September 6, 2021

POWER OF CHOICE

We choose what we love, so it is said. Therefore, it's important to love wisely, so we can choose wisely.

There is a power that comes with the choices we make, and needs to be filtered according to who and what we love. This way, we set a pattern in our minds, and hopefully in our hearts, as to what we want to do with our lives.

God had created us for love, and to be loved.  How wonderful it is when we respond positively to the inspirations we receive.  We are responding to God's Will, and the graces that follow will often astound us.

All of us are created for greatness.  Let's respond with a loving heart.