August 2020 – Hearts Stirred Up For God

BECOMING AN EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LOVE – Part 1

Photo courtesy of Austin Kayatin.

We are all expressions of God’s love!

That is the sentence I immediately awoke to this morning. It wasn’t an audible sentence, but one that filled my heart quickly even though it came out of nowhere. I felt like it was an invitation given to me to so that I could learn more about what it meant so that it may be an expression that resonates deeply within my heart. Eagerly I prayed on it and then picked up a pen so that my heart could be poured out onto the pages.

FIRST WAY GOD EXPRESSES HIS LOVE – HE CREATED US

We are all expressions of God’s love. What a beautiful reality.

His love for us is so deep that He could not contain it simply within His heart. He had to create us. Our birth is an expression of God’s love.

There are so many times in everyone’s life when we can feel somewhat down. Resting in the reality that we were created because we were so deeply loved can be of great comfort. Think of a time when you were so excited about something that you just couldn’t wait to share it with others. Now multiply that with an infinite number. That is why God created us. His love was so deep, He couldn’t keep us contained in His heart. He had to create us so He could be one with us and share us with all of the other children He created out of love!!

SEXOND WAY GOD EXPRESSES HIS LOVE – WHEN WE GIVE HIS LOVE

Now that we see how much He loves us and united to us, desires to share us, we can understand more fully why we are to love God and neighbor. When we are doing something loving for others, we should take a pause and allow ourselves to be aware of this act of sharing because it is God expressing His love for others through us. That awareness can help us to receive God’s love just as our neighbor is receiving it, but we have to notice.

Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don’t even think about what we are doing for someone else. Other times we are, but our focus is totally on them, which is beautiful.

If we take a moment, however, to let ourselves feel that love, let ourselves be mindful that we are also experiencing God‘s love as it flows through us, our union with God may grow deeper. The simple act of comforting someone, for example, can be a reminder to us that it is God who is giving the comfort through us and when we are down, even if we are alone, He is there for us with His comforting presence too. We now know this to be true. We can no longer doubt it because we have experienced Him offering comfort through us.

We cannot give love unless God first gives it to us because it is God who is love. When we are more aware of this, we will be more aware of Him and we will notice what He is doing with and through us. We will learn more about the God who loves deeply…the God who loves us dearly.

IN SUMMARY

God is love and we can console His heart when we embrace that truth. From the very moment we were conceived in His heart, He loved us. When we love someone and that love is not returned, our hearts break. Given that God’s heart is pure and He is love, can you imagine how much it must hurt Him when His love is not returned? So often people never even think of the great union we are a part of when we receive and give God’s love. It is a priceless gift that we so often take for granted.

Reflect on these two aspects of the expressions of God’s love and I will share part two next week.

POINTS TO PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON AND TALK TO GOD ABOUT

Pray about the beautiful reality that God created you out of love and that united to you, He wants to share you with His other children.

Meditate on the great union of love you are a part of because God loved you from the moment you were thought of. (Psalm 139 13-16) (Jer 1:5)

“Then I heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send? Who will be Our messenger?” I answered, “I will go! Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). Personalize that scripture text. How does God send you out to be His expression of love?

Be mindful of the love you give daily. How are you an expression of God’s love to others? What have you learned about God’s love in how He expresses it through you? Can what you have learned about God’s love and how He expresses it through you, help you with a present concern you are praying to God about?

BUILDING ON OUR RELATIONSHIP GOD CAN MAKE EVEN THE MOST ORDINARY THINGS IN LIFE SPECIAL

Life is so much more enjoyable when we have the heart to see God with us and experiencing all of life with Him.

With a heart stirred up for God as a result of our working on our relationship with Him, we are in a better position to hear God’s voice, sense His presence and be filled with hope and joy in the ordinary and when in the midst of a storm. This week I pondered the many little things that stirred my heart that I would have missed if building on my relationship with God was not always my priority.

WATERING FLOWERS

One morning I was watering my flowers and realized that God gives us flowers not just so we can enjoy the gift of their beauty, but that we can be given the gifts of hope, caring and nurturing. They could not survive without someone to take care of them. They need me. God “needs” me to keep their beauty alive for my enjoyment, the enjoyment of any guests and, of course, God’s enjoyment. Just like a flower grows, as I care and nurture them out of love for God and neighbor, the virtue of love grew in me.

With love in my heart, and the desire to glorify God, I knew I could not achieve any of this without God. With that, my hope grew as well and as I have always said, hope is a powerful prayer.

Suddenly caring for the flowers became so much more important and God‘s presence and love for me became more apparent as well. The simple, ordinary activity of watering the plants, was no longer ordinary. Because of my relationship, what could have been simply a chore was an affirmation of my union with God.

What chores do you take care of that are means for you to grow in hope, care, nurturing and, therefore, love?

SITTING ON MY DECK

Time spent sitting on my deck would seem ordinary to many, but I do not see anything ordinary in it. I especially love the mornings. Right away I can see how God decided to use His creativity. This week is a blue week for Him. He added a gentle breeze as well. The birds must also enjoy it because each morning I can hear their songs of praise.

As I sat in these concerts in the company of the flowers and gazed at the blue skies, I felt the presence of God. I was no longer on a deck. I was experiencing a piece of Heaven here on Earth.

Surrounded by God’s love, enables something ordinary to turn into something extraordinary simply because I make building on my relationship with God a daily priority. How sad it would be to sit, feel as if I was alone and not experience God’s love.

Is there an everyday setting that you take for granted that you can see God’s love surrounding you?

VISITING GARDENS

My community holds garden walks once a week. I enjoy them because I truly believe God shares His gifts with us so that we can experience Him. Then, through the sharing of our gifts, we are sharing God with others.

This is exciting because being able to share in the gifts of others is a way for us to experience God in a way that we wouldn’t normally experience Him simply because we don’t have that particular gift. Our gifts truly unite us to both God and neighbor.

As I was walking along the path of one garden, I noticed a pot laying on its side and half of it buried in the ground. There was also a plant growing so close to the top that it appeared as if the plant was actually growing right out of the flat lying pot. I’m not sure if these people thought of this by themselves or if they got the idea from someone else. It really doesn’t matter. The point is that someone thought outside of the box. They took an ordinary planter and used it in a way that is different than most. To me that screams of God letting you know it is Him. Instantly an ordinary object becomes different and can connect us with God, whose ideas are far beyond ours. Suddenly an outing that thousands will participate in becomes a special encounter with God.

There is so much joy to be discovered when we take the time to work on our relationship with God every day.

Is there something you have become aware of that is unusual and good? Can you sense the presence of God in it?

THUNDER & LIGHTNING

Lightning is very unsettling to me. I have an agreement with God in regards to it. If they must happen, they come at night and He doesn’t wake me. I heard this week that lightning strikes help dissolve invisible nitrogen in water which creates a natural fertilizer for plants so that they can grow. It also creates an ozone layer that keeps them safe from the sun. Thunderstorms release energy and keep the earth in electrical balance. The explanation for the thunder was too complicated for an unscientific mind like mine, but the bottom line was that without thunder and lightning the earths electrical balance would disappear in five minutes. They don’t know what would happen without them, but it must be vital or God wouldn’t bother with it. Now while I still don’t particularly like storms, I know God is taking care of me with them firstly by what happens to the planet and secondly by making sure I sleep through them.

Many see the power of God in these storms. I can’t help but to see God‘s love.

I won’t be able to think of thunderstorms in the same way anymore. I am so thankful He lifted the barrier that fear erected. It was a barrier I never really thought I had because He so willingly made sure I was always sleeping through every storm. While I was definitely experiencing His love by sleeping, I now have been given the gift of seeing an added dimension of it.

Is there something that you fear that you can pray on and find God’s love hidden within it?

CONCLUSION

Well I could go on about my week, but the point of me sharing this much is that…

Nothing is ordinary when you practice the presence of God. As long as we maintain a relationship with Him, we will be filled with joy, hope, peace, love, gratefulness and optimism. These are traits that help us to see God because they keep our heart open to Him. When our hearts are opened, life is so much more enjoyable!

When this relationship is not worked on these traits are often missing and, therefore, a barrier to God is facilitated. For some the barrier is seen by their joylessness, constant state of anger, despair, agitation, hate, ungratefulness and negativity. If not checked, the barrier can grow greater and greater. While normally we can see why a relationship with God is important by witnessing the lives of those who have one, those who do not have a relationship can also be witnesses as to why having one is vital. In them we see what we do not want. We do not want to be closed off from seeing God in all things. We should always be mindful when we are exhibiting traits that are contrary to God. It is best to make looking at what traits we exhibited during the day a part of our daily examine to make sure a negative trait isn’t seeping in. Better to catch it sooner than later. That way we will be better able to experience a bit of Heaven here on earth even in the most ordinary things.

In short, always maintain your relationship with God. The greater it grows, the more we are able to practice His presence. The more we are able to practice His presence, the happier we will be even when all those around us are upset by the storm. In time, as we grow in this relationship, the moments when we are aware of God’s presence will also grow until there will appear to be only one moment of awareness that seamlessly extends throughout the day.

PRAYERFULLY PONDER WITH GOD

Pray on the final question posed in each of the four sections above. Talk to God about your reflections.

Each of the scriptures below can help us in practicing the presence of God. After you meditate on them, make sure to talk to God about what happened during your meditation.

John 15:4-5. Meditate on this scripture that focuses on our ability to bear fruit when we are united to God.

1Thes 5:16-18. Meditate on this scripture that focuses on the positive traits that keeps us open to God.

Matt 22:37-39 Meditate on this scripture that reminds us that when we are always loving God and neighbor, we are always in God’s presence.

4 LESSONS WE CAN LEARN ABOUT SUFFERING BEING A MEANS OF PRAYER

We all like being the prayer, but what happens when we are the prayer of suffering? Yesterday was a perfect day for me to reflect on this.

I’ll admit it. I am the biggest baby when it comes to suffering, but it’s something we all must go through. Sometimes it’s quick and other times it seems endless. At times it has to do with our health, while other times it’s circumstances. We are on the cross of suffering or we are at the foot of someone else’s cross. No matter what way it comes, we know God has allowed it and good will come out of it for us and others. It may not feel like it at the time, but it is the undeniable truth. How do we know this? Because God allowed Jesus to suffer. Out of it, we were all saved and Jesus became the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

The suffering of Jesus was a powerful prayer that changed everything.

Whether we see this in our own sufferings or not, if we approach them united to Jesus and offer them as a prayer understanding that we are the prayer – the unceasing prayer – we will make a difference, too.

FIRST LESSON

In reflecting on this, the first thing we can look at is that God the Father allowed the suffering of Jesus. We know this to be the truth. Jesus asked that His crucifixion be removed and it wasn’t. Jesus freely gave His life, but that doesn’t mean He liked it.

Being fully God and embracing our humanity, Jesus knew He would be subject to our free will before He came. He knew how it would end. He respected our free will and out of love, He came anyway allowing His crucifixion. He freely gave His life to us from birth to death. Nobody took it from Him.

Yesterday I was extremely sick. I’m very sensitive to how much caffeine I get on any given day. Over a two day period I increased my intake and then without realizing it, I greatly decreased it the next day. I am always very careful about this. How could I have messed up so badly? God could have awoken me to the fact that I wasn’t paying attention, but He didn’t. I didn’t realize until the morning when I woke with an intense migraine, caffeine withdrawal headache. I went for coffee in hopes it would ease up and I discovered a decaf pod. That was from the afternoon the previous day. I never had regular. I was doomed, but God allowed it. I could be angry, but that would do no good. I chose to do my best to be united to Jesus and try my best to suffer well.

Knowing that God doesn’t allow things to happen without a reason and that the reason is always love helps one to be better able to suffer well for the glory of God and the good of others.

SECOND LESSON

Which brings us to the second thing we can see which is that Jesus’s suffering was a prayer that saved us all if we recognize it and say yes to receiving its fruit. That is one way that God turns things around for us.

If we recognize our sufferings as a powerful prayer, God will use them to help others have their prayers answered and their needs met. No matter what, He always wins.

That day I could pray very little. Thinking even hurt. The cross was my couch. I could not leave. I simply recalled from time to time that there were people who were in great need of this prayer and I offered it up. It lasted for about 12 hours. When it got bad I would ask for the grace to suffer well and I would thankfully fall asleep.

THIRD LESSON

The next thing we can learn from Jesus and His sufferings is that God is always with us in ours. We are never alone. If we feel alone, it is because we are so close to God that we cannot see Him as we could a person or as in those times we call God moments. It seems dark. We may even feel abandoned, but in reality we are experiencing a deep union. God is love and that union is why we are able to suffer with love. It is why Jesus could comfort the weeping women, forgive and take care of His favorite disciple and His mother. It is why people were gathered at the foot of His cross and why people are sent our way to bring us compassion and help.

In our frail human state, we would never be able to suffer well alone. God helps us to take it with love for the good of others. United to Him, He helps us to be the prayer.

If He were not with me, my suffering would have had no meaning and would have been for nothing, but all God allows has a purpose and being united to Him is the only way His purpose can be fully achieved.

FOURTH LESSON

Lastly, we can see that all sufferings, when united to God, are rewarded. Jesus became King of kings and Lord of lords by suffering and He was able to go to the true paradise of Heaven. That is the goal of our final suffering. We suffer greatly when we see our loved ones leave. It is a great heartache, but it is a reality. We must all say goodbye to those we love one day because the reward of their final suffering is Heaven. The many sufferings that we endure daily until that time are rewarded as well if we are mindful of being the prayer, united to Jesus. We know that in some form or other, great or small, we will have to pick up our cross daily. The cross picked up well will have its rewards just as it did for Jesus. Jesus got to be with his Father as a result. Whether we notice or not, we will be closer to God the Father and Jesus because of our sufferings.

Every suffering Jesus endured throughout His life brought Him closer and closer to His Father until, in His last suffering, His union had reached its full completion.

The same holds true for us, which is why it is vital to embrace every cross with love. Each one, when embraced with love, is rewarded with a deeper union.

Jesus was blessed with becoming the King of kings and Lord of lords because He was the prayer of suffering for us.

We may not see it, but in some way we are given a blessing because of our suffering.

Every cross Jesus had all His life helped him draw closer to God the Father and ultimately blessed Him and guided Him along to fulfill His purpose. If we are to put on Christ and follow Jesus, the same can then be said of our sufferings and the sacrifices we choose.

REFLECTIONS TO PRAYERFULLY PONDER

In prayer and throughout the day ponder on the fact that Jesus wanted so badly to be with you that He came knowing in the end He would be crucified. Ponder on the greatness of that love!

Meditate on Luke 9:23.

What crosses did you have to pick up today? Did you ask for the grace to suffer well so that you could be an effective prayer for others?

Meditate on Phil 4:13.

Do you see the benefit of being mindful that you do not suffer alone and of. asking God to help you to suffer well?

Meditate on 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

Prayerfully reflect on the final outcome of your life if you live knowing that you suffered well with Jesus throughout it. How do you feel? Talk to God about it.

Faith, Hope & Love Successfully Carry Us Through the Unexpected Interruptions in Life

As I sit on my deck in the early morning I am fully aware that I am embraced in the love of God. The sun is shining, the sky has been painted blue, the birds are chirping and there is a very slight gentle breeze. I hear the whoosh of cars driving by knowing people are out and about living their yes to God, just as I am. How they live it may be different than what I am doing, but we are all living out our yes minute by minute.

Each moment that approaches us is an unpredicted moment. We can’t know what each one will bring. We cannot know for certain how any given day will look like with 100% accuracy. We make our plans, our neighbors make theirs and so does God so surprises and intersections happen. Sometimes our plans are interrupted just for a moment such as the times when the passerby says hello and breaks our train of thought and other times we are interrupted for a greater length of time because of a phone call or the unexpected guest. Some unexpected moments completely change our lives due to things such as marriage proposals, pregnancy tests, the loss of a job, a health prognosis, etc.

Whether the moment that changes our path is minor or major, there is one thing that is constant. God is there and He loves us dearly.

Each interruption holds a hidden treasure because each interruption is an invitation to find God’s love and return it to both Him and neighbor. Each one gives us the opportunity to practice the virtues of faith, hope, and love and it is in those gifts that we are offered the opportunity to deepen our Union with God.

PRACTICING FAITH IN THE UNEXPECTED

We practice our faith by knowing God is there with us even if we can’t see Him. Jesus, said, “I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28:20.

We can easily forget this truth in the little interruptions. Without even thinking about it, we can get annoyed when we are in the middle of something and find our plans are even just slightly changed. We focus on self and forget that for some reason, God needs our attention to shift so that we may love Him through our neighbor.

In larger, happy interruptions, such as the marriage proposal, we can be so excited that we forget to include God, who is the cause of our joy. We easily love the one we see, but neglect the invitation to love God.

Some interruptions are devastating and can be very scary, but we never carry our crosses alone. Just as Jesus carried His cross on His back so that He could clearly see all the love that was around Him, we too must carry ours on our back so we can clearly see God, who is love, surrounding us. Our faith will show us that while bad things may happen, we know all things work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (ROM 8:28). We may not know what will come out of any given thing, but with faith and hope we know all will be well.

PRACTICING HOPE IN THE UNEXPECTED

We must hold onto that hope because hope never disappoints (ROM 5:4-5). When we are interrupted by good things, hope in God can make them even better. When we hope in God during the difficult times, we know He will take care of us.

God is bigger than any statistic or diagnosis. He alone can change what we see as the odds being stacked against us. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past for us or others. It doesn’t matter if the situation is the same or different. God is infinite and we cannot box Him in by expecting Him to do the same thing He did once before. Our journeys are all different. Our adventures are our own.

Once before I talked about the annunciation moments. When we think of the annunciation, we often think of all the positive aspects of it and we forget that a young girl was just told she was handed a reason to be stoned to death and she had no proof to counter such an accusation. Through it all, she found joy through her faith in knowing God was with her. Her hope lied in trusting that all would be well. God would carry the burden with her so she could focus on her baby and Elizabeth. He would protect her and make certain all would be well. This was her hope and she knew hope never disappoints . Her faith and hope freed her from having to worry and enabled her to love others and experience the love which was all around her.

Even in something as bad as certain death, which we all must encounter one day, God is our hope and Heaven our destiny where we will be immersed in the center of love for all eternity.

PRACTICING LOVE IN THE UNEXPECTED

Meanwhile, in all times we can practice love. Interruptions can be seen as simple as God saying hi, as difficult calls to look to Him for strength and everything in between. No matter what the circumstance, they are always a call to love Him and since so many interruptions come our way through others, they give us an opportunity to love our neighbor and love is a powerful prayer.

When we love, we are in union with God because God is love (1John 4:16). When we love, we are experiencing a piece of Heaven right here on Earth.

IN SUMMARY

With faith, hope and love, we are more capable of being at peace so we can experience God. It is in that peaceful union that we are a far more effective prayer with our very lives than we would be if we were doubting, stressing and feeling despair that ultimately make it hard to love.

Living in the peace of practicing faith, hope and love is the goal. It may take a lifetime to achieve, but when we put our faith, hope and love in God, we can grow in these virtues and the union they bring.

Each interruption, good, bad or otherwise, is an invitation to love as we grow in faith and hope. When we fall, and we will, just having the hope and knowledge that God will not disappoint us and having the faith that as His children we will daily grow even if we can’t measure any growth, can make our hearts fill up with love and joy so we can stand once again. Faith that we are children of the Father and hope in Him, a hope that doesn’t disappoint, reassures us of this so even our falls are reasons to rejoice. Why? Because our faith and hope are in God and God is love!

PRAYERFUL REFLECTIONS

Meditate prayerfully on each area above that is bolded. Talk to God about your reflections.

Are there joyful interruptions that you have failed to make God a part of? Can you correct that now? Pray for the grace to do just that.

Are there bigger interruptions in your life that could use the peace that can come from living them out with the heart of faith, hope and love? Can you try and stress less about them and practice these virtues more? Pray for the grace to do so.

In the evening reflect on how you handled the small interruptions during the day. Have you ever considered that the better you handle the smaller interruptions, the easier it will be to handle larger ones when they come? Pray to handle the small interruptions with a heart opened to love.

Can you get into the practice of pausing for a brief moment to ask yourself where the invitation to love is in the interruptions life brings? Find the love and find God.

Can you rejoice when you fall knowing you are a child whose hope is in a Father who loves you?