We Need More Silence

The key to finding God is through silence. But it takes courage and devotion to yourself to retreat from the ways of the world to find that silence. What can you do today to bring in a little more silence?

Is there really a God?

Since the bombings at the Boston Marathon, I have heard a couple of people wonder out loud if there really is a God. They say, "If there really is a God, why would He let this happen?"

Wow. I feel so bad for the people are asking this question, because they are in such despair. Without hope.

I believe my faith in God is what gives me comfort in times like this. I believe God is there. That he loves me. That he will take care of me. That when I do leave this earth, I will be in the happiest, most magnificent place imaginable. No more pain. No more suffering.

I do not believe God "allows" tragedies to happen. Rather, bad things happen because people have free will, and they go against God's will.

After a tragedy, God comes in to grieve with us and support us in our recovery. If we allow it, tragedies, such as these, can actually grow us closer to God. How? By focusing our minds on the good.

Even though this situation is tragic, there is beauty happening in and around it. More than we know at this point, because it's too early. What we do know is about all of the first responders and spectators who immediately rushed in to offer help to the wounded and all of the runners who ran straight from the race to the hospital to donate blood. I'm sure many more stories of heroism will come out over time.

Sometimes when I find my mind is mired in the muck of a tragedy like this, I try to remember Philippians 4:8, which says, "In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable."

Through this passage, God is telling us not to dwell on the evil, but instead to focus on the good.

How do we do that? Instead of dwelling on the heartbreak, let's look for the good. Instead of talking about the evil doers, let's offer up our prayers for the victims.

I know it's not easy -- especially with the media covering it 24/7. But try. Just try to find the good. It is there.

Trusting God

www.steveangrisano.com

Last night, I attended the first night of our Parish Lenten Mission with Steve Angrisano, a singer, songwriter and storyteller. Boy, is he a great storyteller!

One of the best parts of the evening was when he told this hilarious account about eight nuns taking him out to lunch and driving him to the airport after a performance. Eight nuns. Wow.

Many things happened along the way, and Steve had us laughing hysterically. They started out being on time for the flight, but as they kept stopping to help others, Steve's nerves began to fray -- he was worried about missing his flight.

The culmination of the story occurs when the nuns decide they need to stop at the grocery store on the way to the airport. Steve understood the logic in this, based on geography, but he was very worried he would not make his flight. "Nuntheless," he was not in charge!

As luck would have it, the stoplight at the entrance to the store's parking lot was broken. So it took quite a long time to inch through the intersection ... one ... car ... at ... a ... time. 

When they finally got inside the store, the nuns discovered a woman in a desperate situation. She was crying because she had no money to buy her groceries. After listening to her tale, they gave her assistance for that day and told her where to go for more help the next day.  

Back in the car, the nuns prayed and thanked God for the lights being out at the intersection. Steve was perplexed by this and asked about it. They explained to him that if the lights had been working, they most likely would not have discovered the woman who needed their help. The timing would have been off. They knew they were in the right place at the right time.

So, even though Steve spent the entire afternoon worried about making his flight, the nuns were at peace, knowing God had everything under control. And, by the way, Steve made his flight!

The message here is that God has things perfectly timed and perfectly in control. If only we could live our lives like the nuns -- one moment at a time. Trusting God. Never worrying about what is coming next. Just doing our best to help others along the way. Wouldn't that be beautiful?

The Subject of Trust

In a recent moms radio show I co-hosted with Life Coach Mir Lynne Pietrzyk, we talked about the job of raising children as mothers filled with faith and trust.

During the show, I mentioned a recent experience with trust, and I wanted to expand upon it in writing.

For some reason, I have been confused about the actual date my children were going to start school this year. I knew it was a Wednesday. But I couldn't remember if the date was the 22nd or 23rd. Quite honestly, I wasn't fretting about it. I knew I'd get them there!

It turns out the correct date was Wednesday the 22nd of August. However, that morning, I thought the date was Wednesday the 23rd, so when I got up to work on my devotional, I opened up to the date of August 23rd.

Here's what my devotional said on my children's first day of school, "Entrust your loved ones to me; release them into my protective care."

Imagine my surprise. I thought, "What are the chances my devotional says that on the first day of school?!" That devotional gave me such peace. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and I knew it was right. I need to let go and trust God to protect my children when they are away from me.

I am grateful to God for that message, and as I thought about the situation, I realized there was another message for me.

I realized it wasn't an accident I was confused about the date. God knew I needed to read the devotional for August 23rd, so, he allowed me to be confused about the date, so I would read the message he wanted me to read. The message I most needed that day.

So, not only did I learn to trust that God will take care of my children, but I also learned to trust that God will provide for me exactly what I need when I need it.

It's taken me some time in my life to get to this point, but it's such a wonderful, peaceful place to be. I am learning to go with the flow more in life, because everything happens for a reason -- God's reason.