Tag: Prayer

Being Loved

The Presence of God

Smitten With Goodness

Come to me all you that are weary and are carrying a burdened I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me, get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t let anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:27, The Message)

Here I am, Lord. I come to seek your presence. I long for your healing power. Amen

Being Loved

Quicken Us

Smitten With Goodness

Do you now possess the needed strength to perfectly accomplish such holy requirements?

To love our eternal King with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds and with all our strength?

We do not.

We are weak and inconsistent, and often buffeted by fear and pride and selfishness. But being impoverished and ill-equipped as we are, we will look to the grace of God and to the sanctifying work of the Spirit to accomplish his purposes in and through us this day, as we, in grateful response, seek to choose that which pleases him.

We open our hearts anew to you this morning, O Lord, that the love of the Father and the life of Christ and the breath of the Spirit would quicken within us a greater affection for your ways.

Work your will in us, Lord Christ.

From A Liturgy of the Hours: Daybreak, Every Moment Holy

Being Loved

A Practice of Love

Smitten With Goodness

Our Father’s greatest desire is that we love our eternal King with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and with all our strength.

And how would you show this love?

By remembering him at all times.

By cultivating thankfulness for his many blessings, and trusting his good providence

for the meeting of our needs.

By loving all whose lives intersect our own.

By choosing to serve rather than to be served, to be wounded rather than to wound, and by bearing patiently with the failings of others, extending the same kindness, mercy, and compassion that God in Christ has so graciously offered us.

We would also love him by serving with faithfulness and due passion in our various vocations, by delighting in all things he has created for our benefit and pleasure, and by caring well for all he has given us to steward.

O children of the Living God, you would do well to practice your love in these ways today!

From A Liturgy of the Hours: Daybreak, Every Moment Holy

Being Loved, Uncategorized

Say No To Anxious Thoughts

Smitten With Goodness

Jesus shows us how to live. In addition to casting all our anxieties onto Him, we are to be down to earth with each other. For “God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain people.”

So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. 1 Peter 5:7 (MSG)

Are you struggling with anxious thoughts? Just say no! Reorient yourself to Christ and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to who God meant you to be and go set the world on fire!

Being Loved

Imperfect Path

Smitten With Goodness


If we were perfect and whole, we wouldn’t need God. When we let them, our failures, imperfections, and limitations can open our hearts of stone and move our rigid mind space toward understanding and patience. 

When we enter the spiritual search for truth and for ourselves through the so-called negative and deal squarely with what is—in ourselves, in others, or in the world around us—it takes all elitism out of spirituality. We are humble and walk the imperfect path.

There is no more counterintuitive spiritual idea than the possibility that God might actually use and find necessary what we fear, avoid, deny, and deem unworthy. This is the clay the master potter uses to shape our hearts to His kind of love because we can’t love like this on our own.

There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.  
—Martin Luther King Jr.

We are called to love imperfect people imperfectly

“Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” —Matthew 25:40 

Being Loved

Facing Any Storms?

Smitten With Goodness

In Houston, we just made it through an arctic storm last week that brought snow ❄️, ice, and shut our city down. It certainly brought back some trauma from storm Eurie when the grid failed and we lost power and water for a week right after my husband’s transplant. Despite my inclination, I kept turning my heart and mind towards God. He steered me, my thoughts and fears, through the storm. This is a good Father, caring for his child.

How is your heart today? Are you facing any storms that need to be calmed?

“We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.”— St. Francis de Sales

Being Loved

Trust or Worry

Smitten With Goodness

I don’t know about you, but I needed this reminder today!

Worry is the cause of many of the world’s problems, and it can be a warning sign that God is not first in my life at this point in time.

A day of worrying can be more exhausting than a day of hard work.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying. It’s a total waste of time and it’s useless. Worry can damage your health. It can raise your blood pres-sure, cause depression, increase your stress levels and give you sleepless nights. It can be a slow killer.

There is no pill you can take to stop you from worrying; no seminar, book or CD will stop you from worrying. The answer is to put God in control of your life. Trust him. Leave tomorrow to God. Don’t cross bridges until you reach them. Don’t open your umbrella until it starts raining.

Hand over everything to God: yourself, your problems, plans and health, everything. Surrender and abandon yourself to him. Your future is in God’s hands and in God’s hands you are in safe hands. Trust him and all will be well. Easier said than done. It may take time. But it works.

Terence Harrington OFMCap, The Sacred Heart Messenger, December 2023

Being Loved

How’s It Going?

Smitten With Goodness

What if I told you that true freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want—but about being free to live as God calls you to live? That’s what real freedom is: the ability to do God’s will, to worship Him, and to love as He loves.

And here’s the truth: many of us are held back by the comforts and distractions of this world. Too often we have a disordered amount of screen time, unhealthy food or drink habits, and/or a lack of discipline pull us away from the freedom Christ offers. We are Christians but we live as slaves.

Last year, I read the bible in its entirety with the Ascension Bible in a Year podcast. I was in tears as I finished. It was such a gift to immerse myself in Gods word, get to know his character and hear him speak to me. It changed my heart. It was tough to remain faithful but through perseverance I was able to achieve the goal. I thank my son for his nudging a few years ago who said you’re a Christian but haven’t read the Bible?

I’m certain God is stretching me this year into a deeper understanding and relationship. My mantra is:

Make. Every. Effort.

It’s hard for me to stay focused and go deep into things. All the “good” things out there are overwhelming and always seem to catch my attention. I know I’m tired of living on the surface which is where distractions lead me. Freedom is worth fighting for, once we know what it is.

Being Loved

Paying Attention

Smitten With Goodness

How often do you think of things eternal? Do you go about your day pondering the goodness of God, the love Jesus has for you, the life of a Saint, or a passage from sacred scripture? Likely you are running around with the day to day and focused on the tasks at hand. But paying attention and inviting the Spirit into these things is what we are called to do satisfying our desires.

“Much that is true of human relationships is also true of our relationship with God. Human relationships of friendship or marriage need time, attention, and care for them to continue and to grow. The same is true of our relationship with God. We have been called to union but we need to respond. As we turn to God in conversion or in a deeper awakening, besides turning away from deliberate sin—which deforms the soul, blocks the relationship and offends the Person who has sacrificed His life for us—we need to positively build the relationship by paying attention to the One who loves us. Prayer is at root simply paying attention to God.” —Ralph Martin, The Fulfillment of All Desire