...grace in place of grace...John 1:16

Spoiled Child of God: Today I realized how much God has spoiled me. God has been spoiling me my whole life. I was the child who wanted what she could not have. The child who cried when she did not get what she wanted. But today as I was driving along I said to myself, “Look what your generous God gave you!” At that moment I opened the sun roof and stuck my hand out. I felt the cool breeze rush through my fingers. I thought, “God gave me this!” I could almost touch God!

I’d like to list what the Father has given me: such as my loving and patient husban,; my children and grandchildre, my wonderful and wonderfully large family, my faith family, my friends, the sun, the sky, fruit, people, of course, all people, birds, animals, flowers, trees, my heart and soul, and the greatest gift, Jesus! See how God has spoiled me?

“From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace…” John 1:16

May 10, 2013

Good Deed: I was cutting our neighbors grass. Her grass was a foot tall. None of us remember seeing her in a while. Her yard was always perfect all summer. She’s not here. We don’t know why.

This turned out to be a bigger job than I expected. The grass is wet and the mower keeps clogging and stalling. I asked God why this is so difficult when I was only trying to do a good deed. I started to say the rosary while cutting the grass but I kept getting distracted. These thoughts came to me instead.

Thank God: When praying a prayer of petition, at the end of the prayer thank God for answering the prayer. Yes, thank God ahead. This is not a trick to get God to answer my prayer. Remember, God answers every prayer in his way, in his time. Since I may not receive the exact answer I was wanting or hoping for, I may not recognize that my prayer has been answered. Now even if I remember to thank God ahead for my petitionary prayer it is certainly advisable to thank God again with all my heart if I feel that God has indeed answered my prayer.

May 13, 2013

Miracles: I’m always looking for and praying for a miracle in what seems like hopeless cases, but often God surprises me by answering my prayers in a logical way. It’s as if God says, “See the answer was always there.”

Many people say the Hudson River plane crash in which all passengers survived was a miracle. Many on the plane were desperately praying as the plane was going down. One man reported that suddenly he realized that it was 3pm, the hour of Divine Mercy and he prayed for mercy for everyone on the plane. Some say it as not a miracle because everything lined perfectly to prevent fatalities and for swift rescue to occur. I believe God heard the prayers of the passengers especially the plea for mercy. Our perfect God had a perfect plan to answer their prayers and save the passengers.

Can we see God working in our lives? Can we feel God working in us and around us?

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.’ “ Hebrews 13: 5-6