God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them. John 4:16
Father Jacques Philippe in his book, Searching For and Maintaining Peace , says, “The most common reason for which we could lose our sense of peace is a fear caused by certain situations which touch us personally and in which we feel threatened, apprehensions in the face of present or future difficulties, fear of lacking something important, of not succeeding in such and such a project and so forth.”. Fear can lead us to to feel insecure about ourselves or things around us. If left unattended or put in its context can slowly draw us away from seeing the reality of what God has created in each of us and into a realm of untruths about ourselves and others.
Over the years I have spent much time visiting loved ones in hospitals and it calls to mind a time where in one room I recall a tiny window way above that allowed this great beam of light when a loved one passed away and another room a huge window overlooking a the most wonderful tree shaped and curved so elegantly like the soft, gentle lines of a dove that seemed to exhume peace. God finds a way to shine his light for each of us. In this difficult time as we are shut in our homes and away from those we love our thoughts can get away from us that can cause us to get a skewed view of reality. Like windows in our homes that allow us to bring the outdoor in, we get a better view of our life when we see ourselves through the eyes of God. Windows like porches can be way for us to experience the natural living world. As sunlight streams in it seems that within a instant one can feel lifted as if we’ve be tapped on the shoulder by a touch of sweetness. Windows allow us to embrace God’s creation as we gaze at the snow that falls gently or the eagle that soars beyond the skies or ducks lined a in row leading each other like a close nit family. It’s as if there’s a symbiotic connection happening without us realizing that lifts our spirits. In the winter and harsh weathers windows can become grimy with residue. In the early spring when we deep clean them so the view becomes even clearer and our spirits lifted once again. Windows like feelings and emotions need to be cared for and tend to. If not, in time it can lead to bricks that can slowly pile up in our hearts eventually creating a wall of unwanted and usually unwarranted feeling. God’s word and life for us keeps us our hearts free and transparent. It allows us to see the beautiful world and the world to look back at us and see us shine.
Being thankful can bring forth to mind the good things in our life that bring us joy. It helps us see all the blessings we have in front of us. It helps us to enjoy to fullest all we have in our lives. Being prayerful helps us to focus on God’s love for us, I will love you forever and unfailing. Psalm 103:17 Don’t be pulled in different directions, be saturated in prayer…then God’s wonderful peace that transcends understanding, will make answers known to you, through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 Habits of bursts of prayer throughout the moments of day that present themselves for instance if you see a homeless person let your mind fall into a tiny prayer for them or you witness a lonely elder allow yourself to whisper to God to help them feel loved. Being realistic about who you really are and that in all our sins God is a forgiving God. Being realistic about the many wonderful things you have done for others and yourself, even if at the moment you may feel lost. God asks us to lay aside the weight because he will not condemn you for he was condemned for us. In scripture there’s a story of the women whom the town wanted to condemn and stone for committing adultery and Jesus said, “Let anyone among you who has not sinned throw the first stone.” and with this the crowd dispersed. In Matthew 11 God reminds us to bring our sorrows to Him. Believing in the truths that God places in front is no match for what the world offers. As my husband and I chuckled yesterday, God is game changer.
I recently watched, Circle of Love by Dolly Parton and the hardships they endured and how the tremendous and unwavering faith of her mother spilled into the hearts of the family giving them hope and a great gift of conversion of faith of a father who refused to believe but was changed when he did. Sometimes we have to face difficult or hard things but God has equipped us to overcome them. The more we step in the direction of faith the more the heart opens to a beautiful reality and we can begin to see the window of our soul with clarity. In time a mirror appears before you that reflects an image of a person who is loved beyond all things and has immense gifts to share. So we come freely and to where love is enthroned, to received mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness. Hebrews 4:16
May God bless you in the New Year with peace, hope and joy in Him.
Peace,
Claudia