“… AND ALL THAT SURROUNDS YOU ARE SECRETS AND LIES”

Those are the lyrics of a song I said describe exactly my life at the moment. It is what it is, folks! We have to take the joy with the pain, the sunshine with the rain (that’s life!), continually asking God for the grace and strength to deal with whatever comes. So, in asking God how to wrap my mind around the secrets and lies, I went for a talk with Him under my God tree. No shame in my game! I need God! Can you believe I saw the number 23, and I went to page 23 of our family’s website and this message from years ago showed up at the very top of that page:

“… but more in the sense of what we mean by “trust.” THIS GOES BEYOND SIMPLY PRESUMING THAT THE OTHER IS NOT LYING OR CHEATING (Wink! Wink!). Such basic trust recognizes GOD’S LIGHT SHINING BEYOND THE DARKNESS… This trust enables a relationship to be free. It means we do not have to control the other person, to follow their every step lest they escape our grip. Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control…

…This means that love bears every trial with a positive attitude. It stands firm in hostile surroundings. This “endurance” involves not only the ability to tolerate certain aggravations (or like I put it, putting up with some things we may not like), but something greater: A CONSTANT READINESS TO CONFRONT ANY CHALLENGE. IT’S A LOVE THAT NEVER GIVES UP, EVEN IN THE DARKEST HOUR. It shows a certain dogged heroism, a power to resist every negative current, AN IRREPRESSIBLE COMMITMENT TO GOODNESS.” – The Joy of Love by Pope Francis

Is that amazing or what? I’m asking God how to deal with the secrets and lies, and He gave me specific instructions to see His light shining beyond the darkness and confront this challenge from a loving and positive space of never giving up and having an even stronger and passionate commitment to goodness. God is the best therapist! I stopped everything I was doing to go and have that run so I could have some alone time to chat, and He had the perfect post there waiting for me. We love because God first loved us. (HUGE SMILE)

That’s why I say, ‘Don’t mess around with your relationship with God!’ We need His help! See the loving way He showed up to help me with my struggles today. He is in the fires of life with us! I ran back from that tree super happy and ready to stand firm and confront any challenge that comes my way, knowing God is intimately involved in every moment. He is with you, too! Nothing we face is too complicated for Him. It’s just for us to seek Him and ask for His perspective on whatever challenge we’re facing. And then start paying attention to His answers. He is pretty talkative!

These posts I hope help us all to get stronger: tougher, more confident in God, brave and courageous, but I want us to also work on getting softer: more loving, gentler, patient, kinder, humble, compassionate, supportive, understanding, lighthearted, joyful, merciful, faithful, enduring and putting up with stuff we may not like, devoted, generous, and thinking less of ourselves and more of others. So help us, God! Amen!