A friend of a friend of a friend of mine was on the Today Show this morning, telling the story of how her life changed in a split second earlier this year. She was paralyzed below the collar bone after getting pushed into a pool during her bachelorette party in May, and through sheer determination and the support of her family and friends, she has regained the use of her arms and is learning to live with her new state of being. It is a tremendously inspirational story of love, will power, and positive thinking.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40312492/ns/today-today_people
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/20/north.carolina.paralyzed.bachelorette/index.html?hpt=C2
Rachelle, we pray for your continued healing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you continue to learn and grow in your abilities. And may the grace and peace of God be with you all in this difficult time. May He help you to overcome the obstacles between you and your marriage to Chris. Amen.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Burn Your Bushel Basket...
One flaw in our understanding and living God's plan for our lives is our human reluctance to embrace the challenges He places in our path. We want everything to go easily and to go the way we think it should, not always keeping in mind that He places these challenges in our journey as an opportunity to grow in love and understanding of His purpose for us in this world.
When times are good, we behave as Christ says in Matthew 5:14-16,
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."
We tend to be very open about the "good" things that God has done for us in our lives, but are reluctant to talk about the "bad" things for fear of what others might think of us.
Our humanity feels the pressures of society to "be successful" and to "do well" all of the time, so when students are having difficulty handling what God has laid out before them, they come to C to talk about how to deal with these things. They fear being ridiculed when they don't feel they are doing well at something, whether it be getting low grades in school, trouble with a long-time friend, problems with their boyfriend/girlfriend, or having arguments with their family. They are afraid to let challenges be seen by others, even when this may help others to see how to better live their own lives, by learning how to approach these same problems. The first thing C has to do is get them to step back and think of what their witnessing to the tests God has placed in their lives can do to help others better understand and know Him.
We all have our tests and troubles, but we must remember that He is with us, and we are all in this together, as the Body of Christ. When we pretend to be "successful" all of the time and do not let our "failures" be known, others begin to believe they are the only ones with these problems, but it is impossible for anyone to be "successful" one-hundred percent of the time. At some point in their lives, even the most accomplished people in the world have fallen, and it is only through courage they were able to get up, continue on, and reach where they are now.
But how do we find courage, you ask? Through faith in God, that He will bring us over whatever obstacles we have in our lives and help us continue along the path He has chosen for us. It says in Psalms 91:13-16,
"You shall tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon. Whoever clings to me I will deliver; whoever knows my name I will set on high. All who call upon me I will answer; I will be with them in distress; I will deliver them and give them honor. With length of days I will satisfy them and show them my saving power."
He will deliver us from all our troubles and bring us to Him by guiding us in our corporeal and spiritual journeys in life. We must have faith in Him, and we must let others see how He has challenged us in our lives, that they may grow and learn from these same obstacles. Just as we are not to hide the light of His glory as seen in the "good" in our lives, neither are we to hide the beacon of His truth as it appears through our daily challenges.
Use the flame of your faith in Him to burn your bushel basket and let ALL His works be known...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Passages for Reflection:
Matthew 5
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew5.htm
Psalms 91
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/psalms/psalm91.htm
When times are good, we behave as Christ says in Matthew 5:14-16,
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."
We tend to be very open about the "good" things that God has done for us in our lives, but are reluctant to talk about the "bad" things for fear of what others might think of us.
Our humanity feels the pressures of society to "be successful" and to "do well" all of the time, so when students are having difficulty handling what God has laid out before them, they come to C to talk about how to deal with these things. They fear being ridiculed when they don't feel they are doing well at something, whether it be getting low grades in school, trouble with a long-time friend, problems with their boyfriend/girlfriend, or having arguments with their family. They are afraid to let challenges be seen by others, even when this may help others to see how to better live their own lives, by learning how to approach these same problems. The first thing C has to do is get them to step back and think of what their witnessing to the tests God has placed in their lives can do to help others better understand and know Him.
We all have our tests and troubles, but we must remember that He is with us, and we are all in this together, as the Body of Christ. When we pretend to be "successful" all of the time and do not let our "failures" be known, others begin to believe they are the only ones with these problems, but it is impossible for anyone to be "successful" one-hundred percent of the time. At some point in their lives, even the most accomplished people in the world have fallen, and it is only through courage they were able to get up, continue on, and reach where they are now.
But how do we find courage, you ask? Through faith in God, that He will bring us over whatever obstacles we have in our lives and help us continue along the path He has chosen for us. It says in Psalms 91:13-16,
"You shall tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon. Whoever clings to me I will deliver; whoever knows my name I will set on high. All who call upon me I will answer; I will be with them in distress; I will deliver them and give them honor. With length of days I will satisfy them and show them my saving power."
He will deliver us from all our troubles and bring us to Him by guiding us in our corporeal and spiritual journeys in life. We must have faith in Him, and we must let others see how He has challenged us in our lives, that they may grow and learn from these same obstacles. Just as we are not to hide the light of His glory as seen in the "good" in our lives, neither are we to hide the beacon of His truth as it appears through our daily challenges.
Use the flame of your faith in Him to burn your bushel basket and let ALL His works be known...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Passages for Reflection:
Matthew 5
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew5.htm
Psalms 91
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/psalms/psalm91.htm
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Not-So-Lazy River
If you have ever been whitewater rafting, part of the safety talk before you get on the water includes the guide saying that if you fall out of the boat to:
1) cross your arms on your chest,
2) point your toes up at the sky,
3) aim your heels downstream, and
4) enjoy the ride.
I believe there is a similar concept in ministry:
1) fold your hands in prayer,
2) point your heart toward Heaven,
3) follow whatever path He sets before you, and
4) hang on for the ride.
Many days you might not have a set schedule, but at least an agenda, such as an upcoming retreat, student night activity, or school break trip that needs your attention. The amazing thing is how many times this agenda changes on the fly despite your best efforts to keep the day from spiraling out of control. The biggest challenge to C is those days of the week that are notorious for bringing the unexpected: Sundays and Mondays.
Sundays, due to the sheer number of Masses and other activities, are always hectic, to say the least. Throw on top of that the various students asking to set up meetings for the following week, and time between Masses can quickly vanish. And occasionally, there is a situation which can not wait and C ends up needing to meet with someone that same afternoon or evening.
Then Mondays roll around and all of the items that came up on Sunday have to be researched, prayed upon, and/or fixed during the day. When the night rolls around there is a series of several CCM events that usually end up overlapping. So this leads to a long, crazy day.
In the midst of all this craziness and confusion, it is sometimes hard to maintain your focus on what it is you are doing and why it is so important to the students you serve. Sometimes I have to help C remember to step back and reflect for a moment on how her work, with all of its stress and madness, draws the students closer to God. Her work behind-the-scenes to make things happen is usually unseen, and often under-appreciated, but it is absolutely necessary for students to get the opportunities they do to join in communion with God and with one another. This is what you have to focus on when the days get long, or there are short, high-stress periods in the day, so you do not burn out, but instead offer the stress up to God and remember steps 1 through 4 (especially #4).
1) cross your arms on your chest,
2) point your toes up at the sky,
3) aim your heels downstream, and
4) enjoy the ride.
I believe there is a similar concept in ministry:
1) fold your hands in prayer,
2) point your heart toward Heaven,
3) follow whatever path He sets before you, and
4) hang on for the ride.
Many days you might not have a set schedule, but at least an agenda, such as an upcoming retreat, student night activity, or school break trip that needs your attention. The amazing thing is how many times this agenda changes on the fly despite your best efforts to keep the day from spiraling out of control. The biggest challenge to C is those days of the week that are notorious for bringing the unexpected: Sundays and Mondays.
Sundays, due to the sheer number of Masses and other activities, are always hectic, to say the least. Throw on top of that the various students asking to set up meetings for the following week, and time between Masses can quickly vanish. And occasionally, there is a situation which can not wait and C ends up needing to meet with someone that same afternoon or evening.
Then Mondays roll around and all of the items that came up on Sunday have to be researched, prayed upon, and/or fixed during the day. When the night rolls around there is a series of several CCM events that usually end up overlapping. So this leads to a long, crazy day.
In the midst of all this craziness and confusion, it is sometimes hard to maintain your focus on what it is you are doing and why it is so important to the students you serve. Sometimes I have to help C remember to step back and reflect for a moment on how her work, with all of its stress and madness, draws the students closer to God. Her work behind-the-scenes to make things happen is usually unseen, and often under-appreciated, but it is absolutely necessary for students to get the opportunities they do to join in communion with God and with one another. This is what you have to focus on when the days get long, or there are short, high-stress periods in the day, so you do not burn out, but instead offer the stress up to God and remember steps 1 through 4 (especially #4).
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