We are not meant to go it alone. As humans we are incapable of living fully in the light of God‘s goodness but we can constantly seek this goal. But never fear, God has thought of everything and His goal is to bring us closer to Him. The Holy Spirit that lives within us shows us the way.
Continue reading “Week Thirty-One. Modesty. A Gift.”Today, I’d like to offer you a form of contemplation—a practice of forgiving reality for being what it is—called The Welcoming Prayer.
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. Looking for God’s Goodness and Weekly Reflection Summary.”The other morning as I was packing for a trip, I was grateful for the person who invented the zipper. I was cramming a week’s worth of clothes in a carry-on suitcase along with the twister splash and water balloon toys I got for my two grandsons. Of course it was bursting at the seams. When the zipper separated, rather than panic I was grateful. I was marveling at how such a simple invention can keep everything tucked neatly inside a small box.
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. Zipped Up.”What is the disposition of your heart towards God? How often do you contemplate this question? Are you going through the motions, following God’s rules out of obligation or are you drawn to living them through love?
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. Drawn to Love.”In the spiritual life, we seek God and desire to become more like Christ. We live with a desire to let the fire of the Spirit be the driver of our life and perfectly align us with grace and the flow of life.
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. One Desire.”Modesty moderates and regulates all our actions, both interior and exterior, according to our vocation. Each of us are called to “let your modesty be known to all men” (Philippians 4,5).
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. On Guard.”
Have you ever had your glasses fog up with a sudden temperature change? Or perhaps condensation accumulates on your window, blocking your view of what you can see outside. This happens when I see the world around me through my limited, human perspective leading to foggy eyes of my heart.
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. Clear Vision.”Out of love for Your goodness, make me clean. Draw me to purity of heart, striving to live my life as an image of Your likeness. Teach me to love like You. Draw me close to You so I can see with Your eyes and value what you value. Make me know Your will and what You desire of me.
Continue reading “Week Thirty. Clean Heart. Purity.”This week we have contemplated how our mindset affects our spirit. We can advance in purity of heart or stay stuck in our limited human perspective of life. God promises to change our minds, to share in eternal joy. My part is accepting the invitation with a loving, humble, and grateful heart. Practices from other faith traditions can help me walk the path of holiness. I particularly like this one from the Jewish tradition, the Hasidic mystics. The eighteenth-century Hasidic Rabbi Hayim Heikel of Amdur, active in Lithuania, counseled conscious remembrance of God first thing in the morning. Rabbis Or N. Rose and Ebn D.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Nine. Mindset. Looking for God’s Goodness and Weekly Reflection Summary.”How do you walk through life? With confidence and faith that everything is according to God’s plan or living in anxiety just waiting for the next proverbial shoe to drop? My faith is a mindset where I believe in God’s goodness and promises. God directs me to move through my life with physical, spiritual, and emotional confidence. He instructs me to trust that nothing can do real harm to me. For while the Lord sometimes protects our bodies, He always protects our souls. That is pretty amazing. Our souls are always being prepared for our journey of eternal life.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Nine. My Mindset. Eternal Confidence.”
Smitten With Goodness 