Jesus is Everywhere

The other day I stumbled upon a quote that is stirring my heart and mind.

“You need to decide whose standards you will live by, God’s or the world’s.  You will never be satisfied with one foot in both worlds.”  Charles Norton

My heart is totally filled because of a “Jesus Moment.”  Although I find it uncomfortable to share about particular personal acts of charity and love, I truly believe God is calling me to share this encounter.  What I am sharing is for the Glory of God, for we are nothing without him!

The Holy Spirit was in our midst this morning, right in the middle of the morning rush at McDonalds.

There are a few different facets to what transpired this morning, and what it meant to all of us involved.  I will start by saying that my husband and I are troubled by the downward spiral of our country and culture.  It seems that the evil has a life of its own now, and no matter what our constitution says, and no matter what is right in the Lord, decisions are being made and “laws” are being passed to the detriment of society.  Why are so many eyes and hearts closed to the evils that are occurring right in front of our faces?

These thoughts were on our minds this morning, as my husband and I were driving to work.  On the way, as usual, we stopped for coffee at McDonald’s.

Before I go any further, I must tell you God has been tugging at our hearts, regarding a man we see every day at McDonalds. I have even shared about him in a past blog post.  This gentleman walks very slowly with a cane, and seems as though he is in financial need.  My husband noticed a few days ago that the tires on his car are bald, and not safe to be driving on.  There goes the tug…we really feel we should purchase a set of tires for him.  However, we don’t have the “extra” cash right now.  In fact, we need tires ourselves, which we have been postponing because of the expense.

This morning, as we were walking into the restaurant, we spotted him slowly getting out of his car.  We walked over to him and said hello.  He smiled, and said “Jesus is everywhere in America.”  After all the concern we have about what is happening in our country, this man looked right in our eyes and spoke the Truth.  He said again, “Jesus is everywhere in America.”  He went on to say that he is Muslim.  Twenty years ago he was in a car accident, and was terribly injured because he did not have his seatbelt on.  Since then, he has had  many health issues, and had lost his job.  He shared that a neighbor helped him with yard work, and started to take him to Church.  That is where this man (David) found Jesus.

He told us that Jesus is love and he is on every corner in America, in our Churches.

My husband and I were just about speechless.  Isn’t it amazing how the Lord uses all of us to help each other in faith?  These words that came out of David’s mouth, touched our hearts deeply, filling us with the love of the Spirit.

We asked David if we could get him some breakfast, and he went ahead to sit down.  We delivered his breakfast to him, and it seemed as though he looked into our souls when he spoke to us.  He invited us to sit down, however, we were running late for work, so we could not sit to visit with him.  We talked a little, and he kept saying “Jesus is everywhere…I will ask Jesus to be with you.”

When we turned around to leave, the whole event felt surreal.  I happened to catch the eye of a man who was seated nearby, and he had a smile on his face and looked emotional.  It crossed my mind how we are always being watched.  ALWAYS BEING WATCHED…in all situations.

As I was writing this post, I called my husband to make sure I was remembering the details correctly.  He was actually at the tire store, waiting with David for his tires to be mounted.  Praise be to God!  When the heart tugging didn’t get through, God made sure to get his message across loud and clear!  When the Lord  asks you to provide tires, you provide tires!

While David was sitting with my husband at the tire center, he shared that he attends Church every day and talks to Jesus and His Mother…

This morning, we met a brother with a beautiful, pure heart.  He touched us in a way I can’t explain.  Helping me to realize that even in this very sinful world, Jesus is everywhere.

Which leads me back to this quote: “You need to decide whose standards you will live by, God’s or the world’s.  You will never be satisfied with one foot in both worlds.”  Charles Norton

Please Lord, help us to place BOTH of our feet  in your world…in your word.

Help us to walk by faith and not by sight.

Help us to trust you, no matter what appears in the physical world.

We ask that you fill our hearts with love, help us to know your whispers and callings, and please strengthen our faith to carry out your will.   Amen.

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A New Chapter in Your Story

What in your life needs a change…a new beginning?  Think hard about this question.

You can’t fool God.  The Holy Spirit knows the innermost secrets of why you are the person you are, and where your struggles and pain originated from.  Much of the time, you are not even aware of the real roots of the fear, bitterness, anger, hurt, pain, shame, rebellion and anxiety that reside in your heart and hold you back from the joy that Jesus wishes to bestow on you.

In the story of your life, why do you choose to relive the same chapter, over and over?  What are you holding on to?  Has your reliving and hanging on to the pain and hurts in your life helped you in any way?  Do you feel free and joy-filled, or do you feel bound and miserable?

You can continue to lie to the world, and even lie to yourself, however your lies are ineffective with your Heavenly Father.  He knows the truth of your pain.  His love for YOU is so perfect and all consuming, that he sent his Son into our sinful world to take upon himself…all of your sins, all of your weaknesses, and all of your pain and suffering.  He experienced and felt all of that pain and suffering for you,  so you could be saved and have eternal life with him!

You may be asking, “Where has God been while I was hurt, abused, and shamed?”  Why wasn’t he there for me?

He was there all along and is still there….waiting…for you to say YES to him.

He is waiting for you to finally let go of the pain, which is so tightly clenched in your closed hands and heart.  He is waiting to hear you say,

“Jesus, I  trust in you.  I am sorry for all the ways I have offended you and closed my heart to you.  I ask that you take control of my life…my body, mind and soul.  I submit all that I am to You, for I am nothing on my own.  I have tried so many ways to heal myself, and I finally realize that your saving mercy and love is the only true way to happiness and joy.  Help me to submit all that I am to you, and give me the strength to forgive the ones in my life that have opened the doors to my bitterness and despair.  Help me to renounce the darkness and hardness of heart that permeates my soul. I pray that you replace the darkness with your pure and loving light, and infuse my heart with the intense love of your Sacred Heart.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you for never giving up on me.  Thank you for always loving me.”

I  assure you, that after you give yourself totally to the Lord, He will bless your life with a brand new chapter…leading to true joy and eternal life.   You will have a new direction, and your story of faith will be a blessing to many suffering souls.

Are you willing to take that step and let go?  Jesus is right there in your presence, waiting to hear your answer.

 

Blessings Through Adversity

As I was sitting with my husband at Mass last Sunday, the love of Jesus enveloped me while witnessing a loving family’s interactions. I am sure their living testimony touches many hearts each and every day, and I wanted to share it with you.

The first time I noticed them, was when I heard an exuberant  boy’s bellowing voice piercing the silence of our congregation before Mass. He was excitedly greeting church members as his father was guiding him, with his walker, to his seat toward the front of the Church. Their walk up the aisle was slow, due to his disability. At the time I would guess that this child, who radiated joy, was about 10 years old.

Fast forward about twelve years. This family continues to be a beautiful testament to the love of Christ. Do they stand out as “the perfect family”, always smiling angelically and always doing the “perfect” thing? Not at all. I watch his father guide him slowly toward his seat, with a staunch look of determination as his son is attempting to converse with each person he passes. I watch his mother, who is already seated, help him out of the walker and holding both of his hands, ease him to his seat, which isn’t easy due to his size.  However, it is very clear that he is a blessing to his family, as they are a blessing to him!

There are no visible halos surrounding them as they lean over, hug, and whisper to their son when his voice gets too loud. What a blessing this whole family brings to me and to the Church! It is impossible to miss the love this family has for each other. Their decisions made every day, to love and care for each other, no matter how difficult things may be from time to time, glorifies God in a beautiful way.

So many times I hear and see instances where a person or family is elevated by many for being “blessed”.  We tend to equate blessings with so called “good things” in a person’s life…the earthly…the outward appearance. Such as the glow from families who were blessed financially, who seem to do all the right things, have status in the community, have children that are thriving in their education, volunteerism, and extracurricular activities, and seem to have it all together. All of those things are good and hopefully are blessings. However, sometimes looks can be deceiving.

Sometimes the greatest blessings can be found in adversity. They can be found in the day to day struggles. They can be found in a family who have literally given their lives for the care of their loved one. Sometimes those blessings are disguised as difficulties, and are accompanied by frustration, impatience, and fatigue.

The true blessing is always found in open hearts. Hearts that place all their trust in God, and give thanks in all things. Hearts that pray, “Let it be done according to Your will.” Hearts that are so open to God’s love, that the Holy Spirit fills them to overflowing.

That love is what I witnessed in that special family on Sunday. May God continue to bless them, and may He open our eyes to the true blessings in our own lives.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Saying, Father, if you be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.  Luke 22:42