Tag Archives: God

Courage of Our Convictions

Posted on by

A wonderful program just aired on CBC radio. It seems that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that The Lord’s Prayer is no longer allowed in political arenas.

However, Oshawa’s mayor, John Henry, continues to begin Council proceedings with that prayer, along with the singing of Oh Canada.

Many cities who followed the practice have ceased to do so.

Mr. Henry said most council members were in favour, and those who weren’t could spend that time in whichever reflection they chose.

God bless John Henry for having the courage of his convictions.

God keep our land glorious and free!

A Time to Get and a Time to Lose

Posted on by

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (Ecclesiastes 3:6)

That word “get” is a real catch-all; we get gifts, we get sick, we get well, we get well known, we get forgotten. There seems to be no end to what we can get…and the Bible tells us to “get wisdom” (Proverbs: 4:7) And then Solomon talks about a time to lose. In his case, because he didn’t use his wisdom wisely, reverting back to the “ways of the world”, Solomon lost God’s respect. A time to get and a time to lose.

To keep and to cast away reminds me of clothing, unworn for years, hanging in a closet, until the time comes get rid of it…”cast it away”. It happened to me just a few days ago. My youngest daughter had given me a dress that I had admired on her. That was 1997! After wearing it many times over the next few years, it somehow found its way to the back of my closet. Now, in still good shape, that dress has been passed on to a charity organization. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

Tomorrow: A Time to Rend

Why Am I Here, Anyway?

Posted on by

This is chapter ten and the tenth prayer in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. The chapter is called Why Am I Here Anyway? And the prayer is God, Lead Me to My Destiny. Here is an excerpt from this final chapter:

In the final analysis, we are not just human beings but keys–keys that God has individually crafted to fit certain locks. Each of us is special because the lock we are called to open will accept only one key–one that looks different, acts different, and feels different from any other one; one that has different kinds of emotions, passions, skills, and defects from any other one. In fact, in all the world and in all of time itself, there has only been one key that has the ability to open this one particular lock–and you are it. Make no mistake: when you find the lock, you will find your destiny. It could be virtually anything. It could be something big or something small, something loud or something quiet. It could be something that makes you famous overnight or something that keeps you hidden. It could be that you’re destined to save someone’s life in a fire or some other disaster–or that you’re destined to change someone’s life through a simple conversation. It could be that you’ll one day create something that helps people–like an invention or a piece of inspiring music or a book or an article. It could be that your son or daughter is destined to achieve something stupendous–something he or she could not have achieved without your influence. Your destiny might be one decisive, dramatic moment in your life, or it might be many actions taken over many years. Who knows? Whatever it turns out to be, though, one thing is certain: it will be profoundly important to the life of this world and immensely fulfilling to you personally.

This has been my favorite chapter in the book. The author touches on science and religion, genetics and DNA, Forrest Gump and George Washington, and the destiny God has planned for all of us.

I have to admit to praying the above prayer, but also have to admit to still waiting for the answer–unless my book, My Precious Life, published last June, is the answer.

One thing I know for sure is that with God leading, my destiny can only be the best. I’m willing to wait forever.

 

Will I Ever Be Happy Again?

Posted on by

Here is prayer number nine of Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To and an excerpt from the chapter, God, Bring Good Out of This Bad Situation:

“God, please bring some good out of this situation” is one of the most powerful prayers in the universe–and one that God always says yes to–but it’s also one of the toughest to pray. The reason is that when we’re right in the midst of suffering, it’s very hard to calmly consider all the wonderful things that might lie in store for us in the future. After all, the future is always so unclear and hazy, while the pain we’re experiencing in the present moment is so sharp and unmistakable. That’s why cliches like “look at the bright side” and “every cloud has a silver lining” can be off-putting and even slightly nauseating when we hear them. And yet expressions like these don’t usually become cliches unless there is some truth to them. Somewhere along the line, human beings noticed that bad things can give way to good things or even lead to them. In fact, if it weren’t for the bad experiences–the failures, the humiliations, the tragedies–sometimes the very best experiences in our lives would never have occurred.

In this chapter, the author also goes on to describe a very poignant story about something Theodore Roosevelt endured when he was only twenty-six years old.

Although my own experience of a failed marriage after twenty-one years, was not as tragic as this former president’s, it was a time in my life where happiness appeared to be the last thing in store for my future. However, ten years later, I realized an unexpected happiness in the form of owning a beautiful gift shop, which would never have been possible in my married life. Although I never prayed the above prayer when my marriage failed, I remember thinking, “What good can possibly come of this failure?” God knew, and in his own way, answered that question as he would a prayer.

Tomorrow: Why Am I Here, Anyway? God, Lead Me to My Destiny

Okay, I Admit It: I’m Afraid

Posted on by

Prayer number seven in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To is God, Give Me Courage. Here is an excerpt from this chapter:

C. S. Lewis said that “courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point, which means at the point of highest reality”. In saying this he was following in the tradition of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, who believed that all the virtues–if they are to be of any practical value–must act with a “firmness” that can only be maintained by courage. In other words, for a person to be honest or merciful or chaste or magnanimous or patient, he must first have the courage to overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of practicing those virtues. At some point, strong temptations are going to present themselves. That’s the moment when courage is most important. Essentially, a person must have the guts not to give in. Courage–or fortitude, as it used to be called–is needed in life to do any kind of good or resist any kind of evil. You need courage to follow all the commandments, to face physical danger, to overcome fears, both rational and irrational. You need courage to struggle against neuroses and phobias, to overcome addictions, to persevere through life’s difficulties, to endure suffering. That’s why Churchill wrote that “courage is rightly considered the foremost of virtues, for upon it all others depend.” And why Franklin Roosevelt said “the only thing to fear is fear itself.” Both of these leaders understood the all encompassing importance of courage.

My prayer for courage came when a message was left on my answering machine to call the specialist mentioned in the previous chapter. But the problem was, the message was left at 11 a.m. and he wasn’t going to be available until 1 p.m. I admit it…I was afraid! That two hours seemed like two years! Fear permeated my body for that two hours and I did not want to make that phone call. I wanted to pretend it didn’t exist and I could just get on with my life. As 1 p.m. approached, after praying to be relieved of the fear, my prayer was now for the courage to make the phone call. And I did. “There’s cancer in the top lobe of your right lung.” My new-found courage took over as the specialist explained the procedures to take place in the next two weeks. Fear now took a back seat to the courage God provided me with for the next twelve months of surgery and treatments. (This year is my tenth cancer-free year!) TYG!

Tomorrow: Sometimes being Smart Just Isn’t Enough…God, Give Me Wisdom

Am I a Terrible Person?

Posted on by

“God Forgive Me” is the fifth prayer in Anthony DeStefano’s book Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. Here is today’s excerpt from the chapter, Am I A Terrible Person?:

Finally, as most people know, there is a famous line from the “Our Father” that says: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” What that means, essentially, is that God is going to be merciful to us in the same measure that we are merciful to others. This is God’s quid pro quo of forgiveness, and its importance should never be underestimated. We are required to forgive others, not just once in a while, not just when we feel like it, but all the time. And if we don’t, we are going to have the same strict standard of judgment applied to us. Thus, if you are a very hard, callous type of individual who holds grudges and harbors all kinds of animosities against people who have offended you, you may have a lot to worry about on Judgment Day. But, on the other hand, if you are one of those weak individuals who is constantly falling into the same sinful behavior but are also merciful and forgiving to others, then, as Jesus said, your heavenly father will treat you in exactly the same way.

Am I a terrible person? When I look back on my life and all the wrongs I committed along the way, it is certainly easy to believe I was, if not a terrible person, at least not a very nice one at times. My biggest hurdle was unforgiveness after the breakdown of my marriage. It was Matthew 18:22 where Jesus told Peter he had to forgive seventy times seven that redeemed me. I asked God to help me forgive seventy times seven and that prayer was answered…not in an instant but relatively quickly.

Tomorrow: This Stress is Killing Me!…Lord, Give Me Peace

This Stress is Killing Me!

Posted on by

God, Give Me Peace. This is the sixth prayer in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. Following, is today’s excerpt from This Stress is Killing Me:

One of the most powerful prayers God always says yes to is “Please give me peace.” After all, everyone wants peace–peace in the world; peace in our communities; peace in our families; peace in ourselves.This last kind of peace is perhaps most important because if we’re not at peace with ourselves, then it’s impossible to enjoy life, no matter what good things we possess. We can have youth, health, beauty, money, an amazing job, and a wonderful family–but if every day of our life is full of stress, then every day is going to be a nightmare. On the other hand, if we are at peace, then we can handle almost anything that life throws at us. … Most of us struggle with anxiety on a daily basis. We live in a perpetual state of reaction–reaction to the thousands of external forces that act on us all the time: TV, radio, friends, family, work, e-mail, bills, responsibilities, current events, carnal desires, worldly temptations, the weather. We’re constantly being pushed and pulled in so many directions that it’s hard to stand still and keep our equilibrium.

My greatest need for peace came on May 24, 2005, when a 5 p.m. phone call from my doctor revealed that “something was growing in my right lung.” This showed up on an x-ray I had just had at 2 p.m. the same day! I remember slowly hanging up the phone after being told a specialist appointment was being arranged as we spoke. My stress hormones were bouncing around my body like a lucky hit on a slot machine. That’s when I prayed loudly and sincerely, “God, PLEASE grant my your peace!” And it was granted..immediately.

Tomorrow: Okay, I Admit It: I’m Afraid…God Give Me Courage

Why Should I Get Involved?

Posted on by

The second prayer in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To is God, Make Me An Instrument. The chapter is called Why Should I Get Involved, and talks about the many ways God sends suffering people our way when we say this prayer. Here is an excerpt from this chapter:

When you say to God, “Make me an instrument,” all God really has to do is channel some of these folks in your direction. There’s no need for him to perform any great miracles. No need for him to part the Red Sea. No need for him to send angels. He simply has to steer them your way. Like a conductor in a railway station who pulls a lever in order to make the tracks switch, God simply pulls a lever in heaven, and a veritable trainload of suffering people will automatically be rerouted in your direction! Then it’s up to you. You’ll have to figure out the best way to help them. It may be as simple as offering a kind word of advice or lending them a few dollars; it may be as difficult as donating a kidney or saving their life in a fire. Whatever you have to do, though, you can be sure that you will be able to rise to the occasion. If God sends you someone to assist, he is also going to give you the time, the resources, and the wherewithal to do it.

It was 1999 when forced retirement found me with so much time on my hands, I said a similar prayer, but instead of “God, make me an instrument” my words were more like “Please send me someone to help.” Looking back, I can see where that prayer led me to volunteer work in a long term care facility, and in 2000 into caring for my own life partner who developed Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. That was the peak experience of my being an “instrument”, as it eventually became a 24/7 caregiving assignment until his death in 2007. Today I am a member of the Pastoral Care Team at church, and God has sent several people my way who need either a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen or just a hug. I love being “an instrument” even though I never considered myself as such.

Monday: What’s In It for Me? … God, Outdo Me in Generosity

 

I Wish I Could Believe

Posted on by

The first prayer from the book, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To is, “God, show me that you exist.” Here is an excerpt from chapter one, I Wish I Could Believe:

Does God exist? Can there be a simpler yet more important question in all the universe? Can there be one that has been the source of more mental anguish and emotional confusion in the history of mankind? It’s ironic that a question that so many people struggle with is also one that can be most easily answered by God when we put it into the form of a prayer. For when we lift our minds and hearts in humility and say to God: “Please show me that you exist…Give me some sign that you are really up there somewhere” he is only too happy to respond–sometimes with a speed that can astound us.

And that’s what happened to me in my twenty-third year. I had been a believer since I was four years old, but as happens with some of us, life gets in the way of our beliefs, causing us to either forget about God altogether or give him very little of our time. I remember going through a very difficult time both physically and spiritually after the birth of my fourth child. One day, I stood stock still in my tiny little kitchen, surrounded by three little ones and a brand new baby, feeling completely overwhelmed. Suddenly, I cried out, “God, where are you? If you exist, please give me a sign!” Shortly afterwards…like about twenty minutes…a knock came to the door. There stood two Jehovah’s Witnesses wanting to talk to me about God. They held up one of their magazines with GOD in bold letters, but I didn’t pay any attention to the rest of the message, and shooed them away, being busy with my family at that precise moment.

It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized that I had closed the door on what was probably God’s sign to me that he does exist. “Was that my sign?” I wondered. Maybe yes, maybe no, but to this day I firmly believe that it was a very quickly answered prayer. “Yes, Patricia, I am here.”

Tomorrow: Why Should I Get Involved? … God, Make Me an Instrument

The Proof is in Remembering

Posted on by

Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To by Anthony DeStefano.

It’s a new book I’m reading and for the next ten days I will write a brief excerpt from each chapter, beginning today with the Introduction…or at least comment that upon looking back over my life, I can see where each of these ten prayers has been answered for me. The proof is in remembering.

Here is an excerpt from the author’s Introduction:

How would you like to have incredible, unshakable faith–the kind that could withstand any crisis and any amount of suffering? How would you like to have as much courage and strength as the bravest war hero? the wisdom to solve all the problems you’ll ever face in life? How would you like to have peace–the kind of deep, inner tranquility that can carry you safely and smoothly through all of life’s problems? to experience the most passionate feelings of love, intimacy, and connectedness–no matter how alone you may feel right now? How would you like to know your destiny–a unique destiny God has chosen for you from the beginning of time, a destiny so grand in scope and heroic in proportions that it dwarfs all your dreams–a destiny you can still have no matter what your age, job, or position in life? All these things can be yours, and all you have to do is ask.

Tomorrow: I Wish I Could Believe…God Show Me That You Exist