Your Greatest Blessing

“Sometimes your heaviest cross to bear is your greatest blessing.”

These words were unexpected.  I was talking with my priest about an inner struggle I was experiencing, and the pain and frustration I was feeling.  Although I prayed for The Holy Spirit to heal me and work through the situation, I kept failing miserably over and over again.

My impatience and selfishness definitely called for  a miracle, however, I just wanted to wish the whole experience away and not have to deal with it or carry it anymore.

I looked at Fr. Jeb and said, “I guess it’s just my cross to bear.”  And then I expected him to wallow in my situation with me and tell me how happy he was that I was hanging in there.  I wanted a pat on the back.

What he said to me jolted my heart and thought process.  “Sometimes your heaviest cross to bear is your greatest blessing.”

How could this be?  What did he mean?  How could he think that my situation was a blessing at all?  I was being stifled, and felt trapped, like I was in prison.  How could this troubling situation be a blessing?

Fr. Jeb prayed over me and  I felt comforted, but I felt a little confused as I left his office.

Over the next few weeks, his words kept coming back to me.  I was starting to realize that God’s most wonderful blessings are not always  what the world would see as blessings.  His most generous blessings are sometimes the crosses to bear that we can not work through ourselves.  Those crosses that we finally choose to accept, and when we realize that we can’t continue carrying them on our own, we finally throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus, and offer our struggles to Him.  We learn to join our suffering with the suffering of The Cross.

In that way, we become one with Him.

I also found that once I accepted my cross, The Holy Spirit started changing me and working on my weaknesses.  Although I still fall short, I see His work being done in my spirit and soul.  And THAT is the biggest blessing!

What is that heavy burden that you are carrying?  What is it that is hindering your spiritual growth and relationship with Jesus?

Is it financial?  Are you out of answers?  Do you feel hopeless because you don’t know where to turn?

Is your marriage struggling?  Is your heart breaking because you yearn for a holy and happy relationship with your spouse?  Do you even think a happy and joyful marriage or relationship is possible?

Are you living a lie, and hiding abuse?  Physical, emotional, or verbal?

Do you have an addiction that is overwhelming you and the lives of those around you?

Are you holding on to painful and debilitating memories from your past?  Atrocities that you endured as a child and/or through your life?

Are you overcome with the pain of having an abortion or participating in abortion?

Maybe you are sorrowful due to not being able to conceive the child you so desperately want?

Are you suffering through disease, depression, or incapacitating pain?

Are you lonely and living in despair?

Do you feel trapped…maybe a job that you feel is going nowhere? Maybe a family situation? Or just feeling trapped in your day to day life?

Remember, your heaviest cross, can be your greatest blessing.  Give your whole heart and your burdens to The Lord.  Ask The Holy Spirit to fill you with His mercy, love and wisdom.  Ask Him to guide you and teach you what you need to know.

And then listen for His answer. 

He will soften your heart and  let you know the changes to be made.  Align yourself to Him in all the ways you know; offer Him the best of you.

And when you get to the point of knowing that it is impossible to continue carrying that burden on your own, offer your struggle and suffering  to the Lord.  For He wants ALL of you…He loves you that much.  And He wholly understands the blessings that come with the heaviness of The Cross.

May God bless you and fill you with His Holy Presence.

 

 

⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. ¹¹ For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life in you.  2 Corinthians 4:8-12

For the Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God. And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him. For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:16-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looking for Love

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  1 Corinthians 2:9

Wow…those words amaze me.  From Scripture, we are promised that we can’t even fathom the wonder and beauty of what the Lord is preparing for us.  All the splendor around us, all the creations of God and all the ideas and inventions of man, will not even TOUCH what is waiting for us.

Did you read the part that says “neither entered into the heart of man”?

That means that no matter how clever or gifted we think we are, we cannot come close to even imagining the love of God for us, and the beauty that will surround us when we enter heaven.  Think about it…we will be in the presence of the One True God.  We will be infused with pure love.  In human form, we can’t even comprehend what pure, unconditional love is.

So we go through life searching for love.  And as the song goes, we are looking for love in all the wrong places.

We feel an emptiness, so we try to fill it with possessions.  Cars, homes, clothes, jewelry, entertainment, and all the other things we feel we need to be happy.  The trouble is, once we attain those things, the novelty wears off and we move to the next thing.  Sound familiar?

Wealth and power are coveted by many who believe that status will bring stability and respect.  After achieving that success, they are left with the nagging insecurity of wondering who would be left to stand with them if all was taken away.  Are there really any true friends that would love them no matter what?

Education and titles seem to be the choice of many to earn “status” so they will be admired and respected.  But deep down inside, they feel that their status is an illusion, and if anyone knew who they truly are, they would no longer be accepted.

Vacations are marketed as a way to “get away from it all” and a time to build relationships.  However, a funny thing happens.  After the vacation, we are once again thrust into our normal day to day life, and the day to day relationships seem to stay the same.  So we look forward to the NEXT vacation, instead of focusing on improving the relationships we so desire.

Many people are devoid of true joy and do not have any idea of their worth.  They try to fill that void through pleasures of promiscuity and immorality.  After the momentary pleasure, they find themselves truly alone, and even more empty.  And even if they do not admit it, they feel used and dirty. They are really looking for true love, and don’t even realize it.  The search is on…over and over again.

Others find solace in looking “perfect”.  An overwhelming number of people turn to plastic surgery.  Sixty five year olds trying to look like twenty five.  Women thinking that large breasts, full lips and a wrinkle free face will bring them love and acceptance.  Men and women changing their appearance in any way imaginable, even their “gender”.  They erroneously believe that once they obtain that “perfect place” they will be happy, accepted and loved.

All kinds of addictions are destroying lives.  Why do we think that drugs, alcohol, food, sex, gambling, shopping will fill that never ending feeling of despair, boredom, loneliness and pain?  The pain is numbed for a short while, and then reappears once the “drug of choice” wears off.  What are we thinking?

Being human, we will never fully understand the glory of God.  However, the trust and faith in his love for us, is the only way to fill that nagging ache in our whole being.  Our souls were created with a homing device, which keeps us longing for more.  But the longing is not for all the false things we strive for on a daily basis; the longing is to return home….to our Father in Heaven.  Once we are secure in His Love, we no longer have a need for all the substitutes.

So once again, read this scripture:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  1 Corinthians 2:9

We need to realize that we don’t know what we don’t know.  We can’t even dream or fathom what our God has waiting for us.

Where does that leave us?

Pure and simple.  Faith and trust.  Not so much in ourselves or society…we know where that road takes us.

Faith and trust in the merciful, illuminating, all consuming love of our Father, His Son, Jesus, who suffered and died for our salvation, and in the Holy Spirit who is constantly working in us and through us.

That is where we will find the love we are looking for.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16 

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  1 Corinthians 2:9

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.   1 John 3:1