Worry Prayer

At the 2009 Catholics on Call Partners Conference last week, Bishop Morneau asked, "How do you keep prayer from being worry in the presence of God?" I contemplated that question for several days. Not like it was a new concept or anything, for I had heard long ago that if you're going to pray, don't worry and if you're going to worry don't pray. But this time the question was posed in a way that made me pause. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how often I've NOT been in dialogue with God about something -- I'd actually been spewing words of worry and concern, not praising God and seeking God's counsel.

To be in the presence of God and not allowing it to turn to worry is really not that difficult. I found that all I really needed to do was go to God without an agenda and a list of demands. Now don't get me wrong, I do still believe that I should ask God for that which I seek, but I also need to bend and bow to God's will. To enter into God's Gates with thanksgiving helps me understand right away what my focus should be...Kingdom building.

Funny thing that we just seem to forget, we can do nothing apart from God. When we sin we take God with us. God doesn't sin, but God is not separate from us either. That's like having your mother standing next to you while you're doing something you know you shouldn't. Ugh!

Engulf Me LORD in Your Grace

Sometimes I just need to be overtaken by God to get an understanding of what He wants me to do. Sometimes nothing makes any sense unless She just engulfs me in Her Grace. I like control. I like to know what's going to happen before I even make a move. That type of control can leave a person paralyzed because we can't know the outcome until we act. That's why I need God to engulf me in His Grace and weaken my resistance to Her will. I may want to be in control though I know that my control is full of chaos and misinformation. God's Grace helps me to let go and allow God to have control. And Oh... is life so much better when I give in to God's Will.

Engulf me LORD in Your Grace. Weaken my resistance to Your WILL.

This Has Gotta Stop

As much as I try, I don't seem to post at least once a week as I would like. I have a running list of topics to write about, but just don't seem to be making it happen. This has gotta stop.
The piece of paper where these topics reside is getting crowded.
For those of you who follow my journey to peace, please know that my absence on the blog does not mean I've made it to peace. Quite the opposite. As of late, I've found myself so far from peace it's disheartening. Would you believe that my studies this semester have helped me? I wouldn't have thought so. The more reading I've done, the more peaceful I've become. BTW, just finished The Shack by William Paul Young on mP3. Great read (listen). I'll be reading it again in January as I take the Tolton Scholars on a journey through it in February. At that point I'm sure I'll be blogging some of the discussions. So for now you have plenty of time to get it and read it so you're better able to join in on the discussion.

It's All About Trust

Relationships, no matter with whom are all about trust. "Do I trust you to do what you say?" Do I trust me to the person I claim?" Our difficulty with God comes down to trust. Do we believe that God will act in our lives like He has acted in the lives of others? How can we move forward on a plan laid out by God if we do not trust? It's impossible. In order to get to the place of trust, we must cultivate a relationship. We must nurture the ground and plant the right seeds. Sunlight and water are needed too. And every so often, we've got to get on our knees and pull the weeds. When we haven't been tending the soil correctly, we may have to leave the weeds in place and separate them out later.

Trusting God is not an overnight success of many of us. We've got to learn to communicate better. We have to say what we mean and mean what we say. We can't hide in the shadows hoping that God will do all the work for us. This relationship involves our action also.

I haven't been taking the time to chat with God. I've been running here and there, making time for all sorts of things. And you know what? I'm suffering. I haven't taken my seat in God's presence and I miss that. Life is out of balance. This trust is not just about God doing His part, it's about me doing mine. I pray that I become more trustworthy in my relationship with God. I'm thinking that will help me to be more trustworthy on the journey.

Let's get back to treating each other right. Let's get back to trust.

Is Your Faith Working?

In the Sept 09 issue of U.S. Catholic magazine are the results of a reader survey they did asking the question "Is your faith working?"

The title caused me to pause, wondering where they were going with this question. Then it inspired me to ask a different question, "Am I working my faith?" In my relationships with others am I relying on faith to guide me or am I leading with all my faults and hang-ups? Lately, I haven't been working my faith. I've been faithfully ignoring what God is asking of me. "Be quiet just a moment timone -- listen well, speak slowly. Don't allow your ego to get in the way. Respond with words of kindness and understanding." Do the things that come from working my faith. My faith is working. It is what helps me see my mistakes and my missteps. It is what gives me the courage to press forward each time I am attacked. Now working my faith is different. I haven't relied on what I've learned in my quiet time with God. I've rushed ahead of the plan causing set backs and re-routes.

Maybe I'm doing what I'm supposed to. Maybe working my faith is struggling through the moments of hardship relying solely on the hand of God, presented through others. Maybe working my faith is admitting that I don't have all the answers. Maybe working my faith is speaking the Truth no one wants to hear.

Is your faith working? Are you working your faith?