“It’s a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
My life today, I am happy to say, is chaos free. Not that situations don't pop up where I could be dragged into my old way of thinking and reacting. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's having a partner who desires a "chaoticless" life, too. If only I knew then what I know now, right? Chaos is a choice. You can either choose to participate or let the whirling dervishes whirl. I choose to stay focused on what Jesus is asking of me. What do you choose today?
In todays Gospel (John 5: 17-30), Our Savior defines how we are saved:
Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.
“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
In Anne a lay apostle's book The Mist of Mercy, she is very clear in directing us to live our lives in service to Christ:
"Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They do not live this belief, however, and they do not make decisions based on their belief. They do not serve. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They make many decisions based on this belief and live good lives. They serve partially. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They live this belief and make most or all of their decisions based on this belief. These souls are saints. They serve in near totality. It is a challenge for a person to conform his life to something he has not seen but therein lay the merit of our earthly service. We do not see this heavenly Kingdom. We do not see the saints who have gone before us. We cannot touch the stones or trees or water in heaven. We are, however, given great grace in our souls with which to understand and believe the truths of God. The Sacraments provide treasures of grace to strengthen our understanding of God. Souls who live for the world deny these truths. They do not wish to believe because they do not wish to serve God. They desire their own will. When these souls die, they have to come to terms with the fact that they knew God existed and chose against Him on some occasions. They have to admit and acknowledge that they knew of God’s existence because this is the land of truth and there is no bantering or word play. The truth is plain to see here. On earth souls try to tie each other up in knots with clever arguments designed to distract from the truth. This will not work in the heavenly Kingdom. We will be able to relax there and there will be no need to be clever in that respect. This will be a relief because one gets tired of having to constantly expose the enemy’s distortions and traps. I find that some souls try to put me in a paper bag with their words and I am always trying to fight my way out. I am at peace about this, as every soul should be. When we are being challenged and we lack the words, we must simply say nothing. Ultimately, it is God’s fight, not ours. He always wins in the end."
Lay apostles, when chaos erupts, do you? Are you the creator of chaos? Whatever your answer is, make yourself small and ask Jesus to calm your soul before you speak or act. Choose to detach from any situation causing you unrest. Restore calm and unity to the best of your ability. As Anne says above, "Ultimately, it is God's fight, not ours. He always wins in the end."
Thank you, Lord, for the peace You have given my soul. Continue to help me to stay out of chaos and focused on You!
God bless,
Bonnie
My life today, I am happy to say, is chaos free. Not that situations don't pop up where I could be dragged into my old way of thinking and reacting. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's having a partner who desires a "chaoticless" life, too. If only I knew then what I know now, right? Chaos is a choice. You can either choose to participate or let the whirling dervishes whirl. I choose to stay focused on what Jesus is asking of me. What do you choose today?
In todays Gospel (John 5: 17-30), Our Savior defines how we are saved:
Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.
“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
In Anne a lay apostle's book The Mist of Mercy, she is very clear in directing us to live our lives in service to Christ:
"Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They do not live this belief, however, and they do not make decisions based on their belief. They do not serve. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They make many decisions based on this belief and live good lives. They serve partially. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They live this belief and make most or all of their decisions based on this belief. These souls are saints. They serve in near totality. It is a challenge for a person to conform his life to something he has not seen but therein lay the merit of our earthly service. We do not see this heavenly Kingdom. We do not see the saints who have gone before us. We cannot touch the stones or trees or water in heaven. We are, however, given great grace in our souls with which to understand and believe the truths of God. The Sacraments provide treasures of grace to strengthen our understanding of God. Souls who live for the world deny these truths. They do not wish to believe because they do not wish to serve God. They desire their own will. When these souls die, they have to come to terms with the fact that they knew God existed and chose against Him on some occasions. They have to admit and acknowledge that they knew of God’s existence because this is the land of truth and there is no bantering or word play. The truth is plain to see here. On earth souls try to tie each other up in knots with clever arguments designed to distract from the truth. This will not work in the heavenly Kingdom. We will be able to relax there and there will be no need to be clever in that respect. This will be a relief because one gets tired of having to constantly expose the enemy’s distortions and traps. I find that some souls try to put me in a paper bag with their words and I am always trying to fight my way out. I am at peace about this, as every soul should be. When we are being challenged and we lack the words, we must simply say nothing. Ultimately, it is God’s fight, not ours. He always wins in the end."
Lay apostles, when chaos erupts, do you? Are you the creator of chaos? Whatever your answer is, make yourself small and ask Jesus to calm your soul before you speak or act. Choose to detach from any situation causing you unrest. Restore calm and unity to the best of your ability. As Anne says above, "Ultimately, it is God's fight, not ours. He always wins in the end."
Thank you, Lord, for the peace You have given my soul. Continue to help me to stay out of chaos and focused on You!
God bless,
Bonnie
No comments:
Post a Comment