Pope John Paul 1 spoke to a fellow priest on the last day of his life and said, “It is Jesus Christ alone we must present to the World.  Outside of this we have no reason to exist.”

Wow! When I read this I thought, “what a great man” and then I thought, “He did not know this was the last day of his life, would I speak like that to a fellow worker, colleague, family member on the last day of my life? Would I even speak like that on ANY day of my life?” I would hope so but I know myself and know that I am often not courageous enough to speak out the truth to myself, let alone anyone else.

Our existence is only of worth if that existence involves Jesus and points others to Him and so to the Father. Our ability to perform well (and not perform to an audience but truly being true to myself) is a result of God’s grace.

Saint Francis was so good at this! He had the ability to lean on God and expect HIS GRACE to be sufficient for ALL his needs – that’s why he’s a saint!   Saint Francis inquired of God, asked for direction all the time and knew that God had gone out in front of him. God was the source of his strength and Saint Francis knew what his own response should be: one of surrender and trust in God to bring about the best outcome in life’s circumstances.

So much has happened to me and mine in the last few weeks that has been totally out of my control. Stressful situations, feeling like life is spinning out of my control – and it is. So, I am reminded by these 2 great holy men of God – to TRUST – God’s grace is available and He goes out before me and makes straight my paths.

Knowing that God cares and knows my situation and is bringing about the best outcome calms me and allows my to focus AGAIN on the true reason for my existence. Then I can truly say WITH GOD ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD.

I pray that you too can know this truth and allow yourself to fall into his outstretched arms so He can go out before you too.

The other day I was waiting ever so impatiently for the electricity to go back on after a blackout. We were in the dark for 24 hours. A scripture popped into my mind:

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:31)

I asked myself, am I impatiently waiting for the Lord when I am in the dark for 24 hours or longer about stuff in my life? When my prayers are not answered and decisions not decided.  Do I patiently wait for His timing and answers?

The Scripture does say- they shall renew their strength.

Waiting so often though appears to deplete our energy, but that is because we only see it from a human point of view.  Spiritually and humanly we get renewed because waiting on the Lord means leaning into HIM, leaning on HIM and being dependent upon HIM.

But that is not the whole scripture verse, it continues on after the words ‘RENEWAL.’

They shall soar as on eagle’s wings to their God.

We shall do well. The waiting time for man seems so constraining but for God that waiting time can be made to be the best most magnificent soaring time of all. We become closer to our God and we learn to trust in Him.  We can only ever do well with our God for He always has our best interests at heart.  As it states in Jeremiah 29:11,

“I have great plans for you, plans that will succeed and a great future,”

I’m trying now to be patient while waiting and seeking God for my great future. Waiting takes on a whole new dimension.

As I get older, I reflect on my life and beliefs more, and I love to read about other people’s reflections on their lives.

I’ve wondered whether we need proof that there is a God? Ruth Graham once wrote, ‘If God could be measured He would be too small and if He could be proven He would be too simple.’ Our God is so huge, awesome and magnificent that our limited brains cannot contain even a fraction of who He is.

My thoughts stirred me to get to know God more and question why so many others do not feel that same stirring or that same desire.

St Augustine wrote, ‘For who can love what he does not know?’

That’s it! So many others don’t know Him and therefore don’t get the desire to even know Him more and more and so don’t love Him and so don’t know Him and so don’t love Him and so it goes.

But who told them about God? Maybe no one.

St Augustine continues in this same vein, ‘it is possible for something to be known and NOT loved but not to know to love – impossible.’

But this knowledge of the God of Love is our responsibility. It was given to all Christians when Jesus left this earth. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Romans 10:14 says, How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?

In verse 17, Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the Word Of God.

We as Christians are so hung up on phrases like ‘I’m not capable, I can’t talk or preach, I don’t know what to say,’ and the focus is all on how we can’t but we need to stand on FAITH IN GOD and know that HE can. Our power is in the message faithfully presented because we are HIS instruments. HE is the Musician and HE works through us.

The more I get to know God the more I love HIM and the more I want to know HIM. The cycle is so TRUE. Be inspired today and get to KNOW GOD MORE. Start by talking to HIM and reading about HIM in the bible. Then be brave and share what you know and SEE GOD working in others. Remember that someone was brave enough one day to share God with you.

I often drive to work listening or singing to music or just singing and praying to God as I start my work day.  This morning I had no CDs in my car (I’d loaned them to other people to listen to) so I started humming, talking and praising God.

I was struck by the words of a song and I only got to the first line!!  I was overawed by the words and kept repeating them over and over.

‘Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,’

The sound of God’s grace is so sweet.  Sound waves have vibrations that bounce off objects and have an effect on things, but God’s grace waves don’t bounce off us. They absorb into us and affect us so amazingly that we become changed people and this then can affect others. God’s grace given to us makes our lives so sweet and full of joy.
This reminded me of a discussion that St Francis had with one of his brothers who asked him what perfect joy was.  Perfect joy is not found in learning or in preaching or in the working of miracles.  It is found only in the pardoning of injuries, holding no hatred – complete forgiveness.

Because of the grace of our loving Father sending his Son who died for our sins, all our deficiency in forgiveness is forgiven.  Jesus took it on the cross and we receive perfect joy. Oh how sweet that is! It’s impossible not to be affected deeply when you remember that perfect joy has been given freely to us.

Oh God, how grateful I am!
It makes me very humble to realise what you have done for me
and I sit in my car overawed by YOU.

The ‘silly season’ is upon us. I have really been feeling it the last 2 months. It has already been silly with the go go go of life where everything is regarded as urgent. I wonder if is this is just for a season because the older I get the faster time seems to fly and the longer it seems to last. It might just be the season of life I am in. Lately, my jottings have been few and far between, life has been crazy – silly actually – and even when the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.

On the Catholic calendar it is Advent which is our time of preparation for the coming of Jesus, the Saviour. When do I have time to prepare for Him? When do I put time aside to acknowledge Him in my Life? When do I pray more with Him and to Him, and seek Him more just for who He is, not just for what I need in my Life or what He can do for me, but just for who He is.

Guess what? My life is not going to slow down anytime soon so I will have to run the race with God, with Emmanuel (meaning God with us). I have to prioritize Him first or else I’m sorry to say, He comes last. Again the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!

St Augustine when writing on prayer said that true happiness is found in Him and “our hearts are restless until they rest in you”.

So as the silly season amps up to the faster “pace” of a sprint, I will determine to choose a time daily to rest my heart In Him, With Him and Through Him. Then my family can breathe a sigh of relief because the stress of the month will not get to me (and so my family will be stress free also). My heart will be at rest and will be truly happy for as the angels will soon declare, “Rejoice for today a Saviour has been born to us Christ the Lord.”

And I truly want to rejoice and appreciate what God has done for me now in my life and into the Future.