Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Faith in the Truth



There was no one prouder of the fact I became a registered nurse than my mother. It was a career she dreamed of in her troubled childhood and never was able to achieve. She would brag to anyone who would listen. The most embarrassing was the policeman who pulled me over for speeding. When he came to the window to ask for my driver's license and registration, she leaned over me and told him I was an R.N. (she accentuated the letters . . . RRRRR NNNNN!). He looked at her, then looked at me. "Good for you. License and registration please." As humiliating as it was, I knew she meant well . . . until it involved her own health. My assessments and diagnoses were not satisfying most of the time and according to her, required the eyes of a doctor. The last year of her life was spent running around to every specialist in town. None of them had satisfying diagnoses either. Despite success in my nursing career, she lacked faith in my knowledge and ability to care for her. As difficult as it was, it did teach me to have complete faith in my daughters and the careers they have chosen. They all work hard and love what they do. Between the four of them, I'm pretty sure I have all my bases covered . . . politics, behavior analysis, photography and aesthetics. Adding my husband Jay's dentistry/real estate background to the mix, well, let's just say the Lord has blessed me abundantly. I am a work in progress . . . learning to never lack faith in Him . . . the ultimate Truth.

Todays Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) demonstrates the disappointment when those closest lack faith in who you are:

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain, she encourages us to acknowledge where we are lacking faith in the Truth:

"In heaven it is all about love and all about Jesus. The Savior, Jesus Christ, is well and truly united to each soul, to the extent that when Jesus enters a room or an area in heaven, nobody remarks upon it because He never leaves any soul. There is constant unity with Christ in the soul. This is available to us here on earth. We are only separated by our lack of faith and lack of commitment to His will. If a soul commits himself to Jesus here on earth, and embarks upward on the mountain path through the service Jesus has willed for the individual, that soul is united to Jesus. Jesus is welcome in that soul and Jesus begins to work through that soul in the unique way that only He could have intended and planned. Each soul has a purpose and the purpose has so many facets over the lifetime of service, or indeed over one day, that we cannot imagine the richness of His plan. But we trust in His plan and that is all that matters."

Lay apostles, I have read every one of the Volumes, Heaven Speaks booklets and all Anne's books. Jesus is very clear in directing us to face the Truth and proudly walk as soldiers in His army . . . an army of lay apostles who bring His Light not only to our loved ones, but to every person we come in contact with. Believe His words, heed His warnings. Simply loving Him makes it so easy. Pull out a Volume today. Read one of His messages. Have faith.

Thank you, Lord, for strengthening my faith in You every day. I am so grateful for the love You give me and have surrounded me with.

God bless,
Bonnie

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