Trusting In God

Everybody has those moments where it seems really hard to trust God.  Where you feel completely alone and abandoned, where it feels almost impossible that anything good could come from what you’re going through.  Where “God has a plan” just rings hollow.

You surely know people who believe that amazing things came from their hardest experiences.  That the toughest times ended up being the most formative, and that they wouldn’t trade them for anything.  Maybe you’ve even had an experience like that.  But the knowledge that in the future it will all make sense and work out for the best generally isn’t much help when you’re suffering in the present.  It doesn’t make it easier to trust God.

Personally, I think nothing works like prayer.  Communication is the hardest part of any relationship, but the most vital.  Just like you wouldn’t expect to grow closer a spouse by ignoring him or her, you can’t expect to trust God if you shut Him out.  Talk to Him, yell at Him, cry with Him, but turn to Him!  He may not respond directly, but He always does indirectly.  And if we’re not paying attention to Him, we probably won’t notice His generally-subtle responses.  God wants us to trust Him, and He will help us to do so if we’ll just start with the little faith we have.

But the bottom line is that trust, like love, isn’t about feelings.  It’s a choice.  An act of will.  It’s a decision made to hold onto faith, even when everything around you seems to be falling apart.  And, as it happens, that’s the kind of faith that God finds most pleasing, and rewards accordingly.

See also: Does Suffering & Pain Have Meaning, Purpose?

Letting God All The Way In

Have you ever noticed how easily worldly goals usurp higher, heavenly goals? We’ve probably all heard the maxim that God doesn’t require us to be successful, He requires us to be faithful. And yet try as hard as we may to stay faithful, we all too often end up focusing more on being successful. What’s that about?

Worldly concerns are always in front of us, all too often crying out for attention from every side (that we see/read/hear something like 2,000 advertisements every single day springs to mind). We may be preparing for Heaven, but we’re stuck doing that here on earth. So while it’s important to have separate time for just God, there is only a limited amount of time the average person can spend doing that.

And I think therein lies the problem. We create an artificial dichotomy between God and the rest of our lives. It’s no great surprise we focus more on being successful than being faithful because we keep the two separate. Our careers grab our attention 9 hours or more every day, so naturally they’re in the forefront of our minds. The trouble is in finding a way to include God in our careers, so that we serve God by serving our bosses. So that the 9 hours spent at work can also be 9 hours spent with God. So that the dichotomy begins to evaporate.

Most of us, even if unwittingly, have separated God from many aspects of our lives. We need to break down the walls and let God all the way in. To include God in our commute to work, our careers, our chores, our workouts, our shopping trips, our meals, our time spent with friends…our everything. He wants to be let all the way in and we will benefit from letting Him in, so it’s win-win. I’m going to pick one area and focus on letting Him all the way in. What area will you pick?

See also: Including Jesus in Everything and Discerning God’s Will In Your Life

Remembering St. Thomas Aquinas

Since St. Thomas Aquinas, perhaps the greatest of all theologians, is honored today, it seemed poignant to write about him. But truly, who could do his work and its enormous impact justice?

Instead, better to let you reflect on his love for God through a prayer he wrote:

Loving God, who sees in us nothing that you have not given yourself,
make my body healthy and agile,
my mind sharp and clear,
my heart joyful and contented,
my soul faithful and loving.

And surround me with the company of men and angels who share my devotion to you.
Above all let me live in your presence, for with you all fear is banished, and there is only harmony and peace.

Let every day combine the beauty of spring,
the brightness of summer,
the abundance of autumn,
and the repose of winter.

And at the end of my life on earth,
grant that I may come to see and know you in the fullness of your glory. Amen.

Amen!!

The Difficulty of Virtue

At times it feels like the virtues Jesus taught are too hard to live out. And to make matters more difficult, they’re usually ridiculed and at times even detested by the rest of the world. Obedience, selflessness, chastity, turning the other cheek – can these be lived outside the walls of a convent or monastery? Can they be lived in the office, in the classroom, in the home?

Obedience to God is one thing. Even though it may not always be easy, we know it is right. But obedience to a spouse? Or a boss? Or a critical parent?

Selflessness is great sometimes, especially when it comes from our surplus time, or money or patience. But what about when it costs us something? When it costs us a lot? When it costs a promotion/raise, or an hour less sleep every day, or the sidelining of your dreams?

Chastity isn’t even a word in most people’s vocabulary anymore. How much would it cost to put God’s plans for our bodies above our own pleasures? To put the purity and virginity of a loved one’s body before our own body’s desires?

And how does one turn a cheek when the world tells us to be strong and stick up for ourselves? Who wants to be meek and humble in a boardroom? Or around the gossip central water cooler?

The bottom line is it’s never going to be easy. Jesus told us as much. But each day we get a chance to be a little less worldly and little more holy. Each day we get another chance to prove how far are we willing to go for God. And, thankfully, He always stands ready to help us.
So, how much are you willing to give? How much are you willing to sacrifice? How much are you willing to love?