Uncategorized – Page 15 – Frassati Reflections

The Authority of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ had authority over all things, and when He spoke, people were astonished. There is great power in the word; this is a continuous theme throughout the entire Bible from the beginning of time. The Lord actually spoke this world into existence.

And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.”
–Genesis 1:3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
–John 1:1

In today’s Gospel we hear the story of Jesus casting out a demon. The people’s amazement made them ask what kind of power Jesus had. The truth is the power is simply in His word, and when He left this world, He bestowed His authority on us. He did this so that His ministry could continue. With this authority, we are also given the responsibility to carry on and share His ministry through the authority of His word.

The first reading speaks of the end of the world. The fear of the end of the world seems to be a hot topic in today’s society. There are many who fear it is coming soon, and they will not be prepared for it. The good news is that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, do not need to fear the unknown because the word tells us that as long as we stay awake and vigilant we will be ready for the end of the world.

For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
–1 Thessalonians 5:6

Take heart knowing that whether the end of the world comes in 10 years, 5 years, a year, a month, or even tomorrow, as long as we continue to do the work Jesus asked us to do, we will be ready. We have the same authority that Jesus Christ has and we should use it to glorify Him. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as casting out a demon, just bring the word of Jesus Christ into everything you do, and let Him provide the rest of what needs to be done.

Preparing for Our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ!

A wedding is always something to get excited about: the decorations, the colors, the splendor of the Church, the bride’s dress, the groom’s smile watching her walk down the aisle. So much thought and dedication goes into planning a wedding. I have been a bridesmaid quite a few times and the excitement in seeing my friends get married is always the same, an abundance of joy, blessings and love.

In the time of Jesus, first-century Palestine, a couple was betrothed (legally married) for a period of about a year, and during this time the bride still lived at home with her family. After this period of betrothal the wedding feast would begin at sundown, when the bridegroom would go to pick up the bride from her family’s home and take her to their new home. Customarily, family and friends would come out of their homes and congratulate the newlywed couple as they passed by on the streets. Many would follow the couple in a procession of celebration through the streets to their new home and partake in the wedding feast together. This procession was guided by maiden torchbearers (bridesmaids!) as the crowd danced and sang around the newlyweds. Imagine it being the pitch darkness of nighttime, in first-century Palestine, and the one thing that guides you is this glowing light towards a feast.

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us a parable about the ten virgins: five wise virgins with oil and five foolish virgins without oil, all of whom were waiting for the bridegroom to come to pick up his bride so they could celebrate and light the way in their procession. For some unknown reason the bridegroom was delayed and all ten virgins fell asleep waiting for him. When he unexpectedly came, the five foolish virgins realized that their flame was low and they would not be able to keep it lit as they did not prepare and pack oil. So they left to go buy some. In the meantime, the bridegroom arrived and the five wise virgins, who packed oil, were fine in relighting their lamps and joining the procession following the bridegroom to the wedding feast. By the time the foolish virgins came back with oil and made their way to the bridegroom’s home, the door was locked and they were not a part of the wedding feast.

That one line in scripture, “then the door was locked” (Matthew 25:10), really pangs at my heart. There is a clear distinction here on who enters the kingdom and who does not. As much as we focus on details and get ready for our friend’s earthly wedding, we must make all the effort to prepare for our own true wedding with Jesus Christ. Be prepared. Bring oil. What does this oil represent? It represents us living the faith, being true to our baptismal promises, celebrating and practicing the sacraments, praying, loving one another, doing good works of mercy. We are all in a state of waiting for our bridegroom to arrive; as Christians we have been waiting for over 2,000 years for the second coming of Jesus Christ. But we don’t know the exact day nor the hour when Jesus Christ will come again. So make sure you pack your oil. All ten virgins had intentions of going to the wedding feast and all ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom, but only five virgins had oil, and so only five virgins were ready to follow him into the wedding feast.

In the first reading, St. Paul tells us that we should conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God. And the instructions on how to live a holy life were given through our Lord Jesus. Before Jesus had told us this parable of the ten virgins, he taught us on the Sermon on the Mount. He told us to be the light of the world; our light must shine before others in such a way that they see our good deeds and glorify our Heavenly Father. In order to be this light and remain a burning flame, we must have a flask of oil and continue in a course of action, even in the face of difficulties, to commit to doing good works willed by the Father.

“This is the will of God, your holiness”

“For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.” Through God’s grace we are given every opportunity to continue in good works and so I pray that each of us are overjoyed, excited and well prepared for our own bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and our own nuptials in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Image Credit: 10 Virgins Icon [Public Domain]

The Shadows

“When you’re a quarterback, people look at you differently,” he commented. Articulating the pressure of the platform, he neither complained nor bemoaned his lot. Simply, he accurately expressed the privilege and responsibility of his role. Lauded for his skillset and recruited with high hopes, he finds himself in the shadows of teammates’ talent and fans’ expectations, a place he hardly has known. The transition involves a walk along a humble road where progress is often made in the hours before the sun rises. Standing at this new starting line, it’s evident just how far he has to go. Momentarily, he thinks about the day he will start.

At this decision point, the distance can become overwhelming and the destination of once again being in the limelight idolized. Yet, “the treasures of darkness” ought not be overlooked. As there is a gift in the time of secret formation and transformation. Mary, St. Joseph, and Christ shared the intimacy of the everyday which laid the foundation for the Lord to perform His public works, which were 33 years in the making. It was out of His relationship with the Father, which He received when He went away to pray, that the Lord was able to lay down His life fully. The altar of Calvary was built in the shadows of St. Joseph’s workshop. Do we trust the Lord will bring the good work He has begun in us to fulfillment? Do we trust He is present, even in the shadows? Do we trust the process, remembering the true goal line?

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn

And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings

God’s not done with you

Always stay humble and kind

The Art… or Heart of Christian Hospitality

In today’s gospel, the Pharisees ask Jesus which commandment is the greatest… and He more or less gives two answers. (Jesus is very clever like that.) The first commandment is the greatest and “the second is like it.”

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
-Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus teaches us that loving God with our whole heart, mind, and soul is inherently connected to loving others.

I recently listened to a Catholic podcast on hospitality (for link to the podcast episode, see below or click here – I highly recommend listening!). This has had me thinking and praying… What does hospitality mean for us as Christians and what does it look like lived out? I know it can look different for each person, depending on stage of life, vocation, etc, so it calls us to pray about what it looks like for each of us. But at its heart, hospitality is a universal Christian call. One of the priests on the podcast makes a beautiful connection between hospitality and receptivity. In fact, ‘warm reception’ is a synonym for hospitality. This receptivity, or openness, is not only at the heart of a hospitable person who opens their door to warmly welcome a visitor, but also at the heart of the visitor who openly accepts (receives) this gesture. Being hospitable doesn’t require a perfectly clean home, the ability to cook a fabulous meal, or having a guest room – it requires a heart open to a visitor, or any person you encounter. At the heart of Christian hospitality is a quality of being present to the person and the moment. Thusfar, I’ve spoken of hospitality in specific terms of welcoming a guest, which is what I initially think of when I hear the word. While this is a very tangible and beautiful example of hospitality, it is a specific example and many of us can think hospitality doesn’t really apply to us unless we often welcome visitors into our home. (Though I do hope we will think of these things the next time we do host a friend or family member in town).

The Christian essence of hospitality is its sacrificial and serving nature. It’s the sacrifice of your time, your energy, yourself to receive another person, even, and especially, when it’s unexpected or last minute. This can happen with a visitor from out of town, or a stranger at church who strikes up a conversation maybe looking for someone to talk to for a moment, or something as simple as being present and receptive to the person working the register at the coffee shop or grocery store. For many of us, welcoming visitors into our homes may not happen often, but we all encounter strangers, acquaintances, friends, family – others – everyday. These are all our neighbors. Our current cultural challenge is to be present or to be receptive to our neighbors… to love our neighbors… to welcome each as though he or she is Christ. This can be more simple than we think. Making eye contact with the person ringing up my coffee order, instead of checking my phone. Saying hello to her and asking “how’s your day?” Taking a moment to ask an acquaintance at church or work how he is doing. Being receptive to those around us, as Christ is to us in every moment. The two commandments Christ speaks of today are so interwoven because loving God is to receive from Him… and this moves us to love to our neighbors. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). When we love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul, we are transformed to see every person for who they are – a soul loved by God, a soul whose very human nature reflects God. We see Christ in them. And we learn to welcome them as such.

In our culture of inwardness, where it is easier to stay inside of ourselves, in our bubble, and not extend ourselves out into the reality around us, we can easily begin to lose touch with our call and ability to be present. This not only challenges our ability to extend hospitality, but also to receive the hospitality of others. We feel bad if someone offers to help us…we don’t want to inconvenience them…it will be easier to just take care of this on our own… We are uncomfortable receiving. (Listen to the podcast for more on this). This doesn’t mean we must forgo all sense of personal boundaries and, for instance, lose the ability to end a conversation when necessary or decline a visitor at a truly inconvenient time for your family. Though, if we fail to practice and become aware of how to live hospitality and receptivity in our day-to-day lives, we may miss opportunities to share Christ’s warm reception and hospitality with others when He is calling us to. It can be a great challenge to stay present to our reality. But it is in this very reality that we meet God and others. This is the receptive heart of hospitality – being present to opportunities, big or small, to serve another.

It may just be my perception… reading through my modern lenses and bias… but in the first reading today, I perceived Naomi being uncomfortable with Ruth joining her. As though it would be easier if Ruth stayed with her native people and Naomi was able to go on her journey alone. But Ruth has a heart full of love for God and wants to be with her mother-in-law Naomi out of her total love – heart, mind, and soul – for the Lord. His love takes us outside of ourselves and our inner worlds and connects us to each other in the tangible world. It leads us to our neighbors. But the source of this kind of service must be the love of God. We must first allow ourselves to receive His love so we can emulate this authentic love to our neighbors.

As the Lord leads each of us into our vocation, our mission, or as He guides those of us already in our vocation, I pray we are each given opportunities to extend Christian hospitality in many ways. Some days it may be sacrificing time you ‘need’ to get something done to be present to a friend, a parent, your spouse or child, or a fellow friar or sister in your community. And sometimes it may be hosting visitors you know through a friend of a friend and welcoming them into your imperfect (maybe even slightly disorganized) home with the respect and attentiveness you’d give to Christ. The Christian host is not defined by the perfection of her home, but by the warmth and openness of her heart. But a Christian does not have to own a home to be hospitable or to be a host in the Spirit of Christ. He can be a young person, living anywhere, who extends a warm, open heart to those he encounters.

Let’s pray together for an awareness of what Christian hospitality can look like for each of us – in our individual stages of life, in our vocations, or wherever we are on our path of discerning our vocations and the mission God is calling us to.

Lord, how are you calling me to be more hospitable in my life? How can I be more receptive of others? Help me to receive your love more deeply into the crevices of my heart, mind, and soul. Transform me and conform me to your heart, so I may understand what it means to be truly hospitable, to truly love my neighbor. Thank you, Lord. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray all of these things. Amen.

Catholic Stuff You Should Know Podcast – “Chateau de la Rode”

Down the Mountain

Have you ever experienced a moment in time when you knew you were in the presence of God? At such a moment, life completely stops, all your cares and worries vanish, and the world suddenly somehow makes sense. Most of all, you are overwhelmed by a certainty and trust that everything is “okay.” This must have been what the disciples felt when they witnessed the transfiguration of the Lord. They were among the divine, which was so incredible for mere mortal fishermen, that it was simply too much for their minds to comprehend.

“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.” (Luke 9:28–36)

Peter, along with James and John, was given a special glimpse of a meeting much bigger than himself, so he attempts to deal with it in a concrete way, honoring these glorified beings with the only skill he can contribute. It is essential in a life of faith to acknowledge these moments and give thanks for them, holding them close in our hearts to remember for the future. While these times are life-changing, they cannot last forever, and we all must return to reality. On one of my pilgrimages, as we were preparing to resume our daily lives, our priest reflected on the transfiguration, asking us to imagine what it must have been like walking down the mountain, how disorienting for the disciples. No matter how miraculous the experience, the reentry into reality will always be difficult. We will once again be confronted by doubt and fear, especially the doubt as to whether or not what we just experienced was actually real.

Although the walk down the mountain will always be a trial, I take heart that the harder the walk is, the more I can have faith that what I just went through really did happen. The account of the transfiguration gives us hope as believers and followers of Jesus Christ. After the transfiguration, only He remained with His disciples. This holds true for us as disciples today. Jesus Christ remains with us, ready to give us courage and to support us as we walk down the mountain and continue our everyday journeys in our daily lives.

Mighty Deeds Will Happen

Jesus grew up in Nazareth. Imagine him there as a little boy playing outside, saying hello to his neighbors, helping with chores around the house, going to the synagogue to pray in community. As an obedient young man, imagine Jesus by Joseph’s side helping him do woodwork. At this time, in his early years, Jesus hadn’t made his divinity known. He was experiencing a fully human life and thus having fully human interactions with people.

After Jesus was done teaching in Capernaum he went back to Nazareth, his hometown. In Nazareth, Jesus began to teach at the Synagogue and do good works. The people who saw Jesus started to question him. The Gospel tells us that the people were astonished at Jesus, but not in admiration; they were in disbelief and denial. Most likely these were people Jesus grew up with, neighbors he said hello to, the fellow children he played with, his classmates. Now they became people who doubted the good works that Jesus was doing. “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?”

How many times have your actions been questioned? How many times have people doubted in what you could do? Perhaps they thought you didn’t deserve to be in a position of leadership or weren’t worthy enough to be promoted at work. One of the fears in today’s society is being stationary in one place for too long and not being able to grow in other areas. For example, in the design world, it may look negatively if you’ve only done work in commercial real estate and then want to move into residential design. In the fashion world, it may look negatively if you’ve only been in children’s wear and then want to move into high-end fashion. Or in the marketing world, it may look negatively if all your ad campaign work is on one brand and then you change brands. In all these scenarios when change happens people question your ability to be able to do the new work because they only knew you as you were in your previous position. Now can you imagine why the Nazarene people questioned Jesus’ doings? They saw big change happening. But, they only knew him as “the carpenter’s son” before the start of his ministry, before the miracles that came through his full divinity were known. They heard him preach and saw his miracles but chose not to believe. Remember this, you are never stationary in life and God calls you to different places at different times, always for the greater good of His glory and within that you will always grow.

You and I know Jesus better than those who had disbelief in Nazareth. He wasn’t just the carpenter’s son. We know that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. He is Son of Man and he is Son of the Father. We know the mighty deeds that he has done and we believe in future mighty deeds to come through God’s grace. I know and believe all of this and yet sometimes my own humanity makes me doubt the good things that will be to come. When work is stressful, when I fail an exam in school, when my family and I are at odds, I forget about God’s graces. In that moment I am like the people in Jesus’ hometown, doubting him. My friends, through the Frassati fellowship, have reminded me to focus on Jesus’ love. In moments of little faith I need to offer all of it up to God. He will do great things for me.

Continuing in the Gospel, after being rejected Jesus says that “a prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” People may expect us to be one particular thing, but our truth lies in God’s calling for where He wants us to be. We are not defined by our social status nor our jobs. We are sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. God will always do great things and we are destined, through His will, for greatness.

At this moment, I am with missionaries from the Frassati fellowship in Peru. We are all far from our own houses. Prophets in our own distinct ways. We are in community and in prayer with each other and the people of Laderas, the small community in Peru in which we are on mission bringing the Gospel and building homes for the poor and most in need. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will do God’s will and mighty deeds will happen here.

Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, who believed in Jesus’ full divinity, on your feast day today, pray for us.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, for your love of community that has brought this ministry of young adults together in Peru, pray for us.

Holy Hands

“Fortitude presupposes vulnerability; without vulnerability there is no possibility of fortitude. An angel can not be brave because he is not vulnerable. To be brave actually means to suffer injury. Because man is by nature vulnerable, he can be brave.” (Four Cardinal Virtues, 117).

The Lord’s resurrected hands are empty; there are holes in his hands. His brave heart is manifested by these access points of mercy. Yet, it is possible to see these openings and be wholly disappointed as the scars aren’t healed and the holes aren’t closed. It’s easy to foolishly believe the transformation is incomplete.

He is able to be brave because he is vulnerable; he suffered because He cared. His wounds illuminate His glory and allow His life giving water to flow. From the Father’s heart, his holy hands pour forth amazing grace as the physical reminder of the spiritual reality. He wholly offered himself up so that we might believe our wounds too will transcend reality and be invitations, and reminders, of His transformative love. May we imitate the Lord as we surrender the holes in our lives to be transformed and filled by God’s glory and grace. May our scars remind us we are brave.

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

I got the eye of the tiger, the fighter, dancing through the fire

These wounds are a story you’ll use

hope reminds me that i’ll hold your hand

The Words of Everlasting Life

Today’s readings provide a great opportunity for us to reflect on God’s Word. We read one of Scripture’s most well-known teachings, the Ten Commandments. Perhaps because this ancient Law of God is so familiar, it can be easy to gloss over the reading and not give it much thought. The psalm and Gospel, however, gently guide us back to this very familiar passage of commandments and remind us the danger of taking these fundamental words of the Lord for granted.

‘Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.’ (John 6:68)

In God’s gift of this law to the ancient Israelites, the ten commandments, he gave the gift of everlasting life. His Law outlined a way of life radically different from that of the world. He gave them guidelines that would help them live lives that looked different from the rest of the ancient world, lives centered around the one true God and informed by His love, peace, and mercy. These very same commandments of God have the same effect on our Christian lives today. Let’s quickly think about a couple of them… Though worshipping idols today may look different than it did for the ancient Israelites, we are tempted daily to worship false idols – money, social media, career or academic success, etc. Even inherently good things can easily become idols when we begin to place their value above the Lord’s. Another of God’s commandments, our commitment to keeping the Sabbath, to spending quality time each week at rest, can be easily threatened by our busy schedules and many commitments. How often do we truly have time to rest and soak in the goodness of the Lord? Even by beginning to explore these two commandments, we can see how God meant these not as rules to restrict us, but as guidelines to help us flourish and find peace and joy. God teaches us how to center our lives around Him which ultimately brings freedom, peace and joy.

I am grateful for today’s psalm and Gospel because those readings encouraged me to go back to the first reading and really try to open my heart to God’s Ten Commandments anew. I began to realize that my heart was not quite the rich soil that Jesus asks us to be in His parable of the sower. We need His grace and Holy Spirit to enrich the soil of our hearts, that His Word, no matter how familiar we think we are with it, may be planted more firmly and flower more richly than it has in the past. God’s Word is alive and it will flower more and more beautifully as we allow God to till that soil in our hearts. I encourage you to prayerfully think through the Ten Commandments to understand them on a truer and deeper level than you did when you first learned them. (This is the joy and beauty of a living faith! We can always grow deeper in our understanding of our Lord and our faith.) Lord, give us the grace to be open to receiving your words of everlasting life.

Today we celebrate Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of our Blessed Mother Mary. I imagine this saintly married couple must have had hearts of rich soil, ready to receive the life-giving words of the Lord and live their lives according to His words. Generationally, they passed down a love of Scripture to their daughter Mary, who not only bore the words of Scripture on her heart, she literally bore the Word of God himself, Jesus. And in this reality of Mary’s extraordinary human experience, we can come to grasp a beautiful truth. Scripture is not just meant to be read or heard, but to be lived. Joachim, Anne, and Mary (in a unique way) knew the words of Scripture and allowed those words to live and dwell in their hearts, and thus be made manifest through their lives. This is what it looks like to be a man or woman of faith, to live differently than the rest of the world.

The ten commandments of God are the foundation of His Word. Our Lord Jesus Christ came not to abolish this foundational law but to fulfill it, and exemplified how to live it. In their humble and ordinary vocation of marriage and parenthood, Saints Joachim and Anne each lived an extraordinary existence. They lived out their faith, open to God’s mission for their lives. Through their cultivation of God’s word in their hearts and lives, God brought forth the Word made flesh through their daughter Mary. God wants to bring forth the living Word, Jesus Christ, through each of our lives.

Saints Joachim and Anne, we remember your lives of faith in a special way today. Pray for us, that we may have hearts open to God’s Word, so that Jesus himself may be manifest to others through our lives. Pray for those of us who are called to the vocation of marriage, as well as those called to parenthood, for the grace to live out these calls faithfully. And pray for each of us, that we may be open to God’s Word anew… that our hearts may become like rich soil, ready to receive the Word, understand it and live it, so that our lives may bear beautiful fruit for your glory! Amen.

Heart Hypertrophy

It’s easy to look at the end result and blitz passed the process that yielded the outcome. In sports, it’s the highlight reel and in relationships, it’s the Instagram moment. In careers, it’s the promotion and in academics, it’s the degree. We climb the ladder of success seeking mountain top moments without realizing the joy of the journey is not merely found at the destination.

Similarly, for those who dare to journey, it’s easy to miss what’s happening along the way. Hypertrophy is “the increase in volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells.” Coaches author programs with many reps and sets to increase each athlete’s time under tension in order to bring about hypertrophy, a process not an event.

How does the heart grow? The Lord provides opportunities, sometimes repetitious situations, that allow us to grow in virtue so that we may be more faithful, trusting, and loving. It’s easy to feel fatigue and muscle failure and burn out because we haven’t “arrived” at the goal. Similar to repping out push-ups, pull-ups, or mile repeats, practice allows us to grow. Trusting teaches us to trust; heart hypertrophy is the process and result of that increase in trust. Though the circumstances may not be what we would choose, let us allow the experience of darkness and silence to increase our trust in He who is trustworthy.

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

I’m thankful for the scars because without them I wouldn’t know your heart

If you say to trust, I will obey

Like a drum my heart never stops beating for you

The Wisdom of the Childlike

“But Moses said to God,
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
He answered, “I will be with you…”

“At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.”

(emphases added)

Many times in my life, I have felt like I was the one to do a job right.

My husband calls this my “justice” instinct… if there’s something awry, someone’s gotta fix it, and I don’t like waiting for people to fix things that I feel I could easily take care of. At many points in my life, people have told me I’m a good leader, and I have internalized that. I feel like God has called me to some role of leadership. But, at the same time, there have been circumstances that shatter these expectations, and my identity surrounding my capability and call to lead has been shaken.

Lately, I’m realizing there has been a slow work of God trying to refine this instinct to hire and volunteer myself as a leader, and these verses exemplify the heart God wants for His leaders here on earth: abandoned, dependent, humble, childlike.

The extent to which we empty ourselves of relying upon our own power, paired with the confidence we have in God’s, is also the extent to which God can powerfully act through us.

Moses was the perfect choice for a leader, in part, because he knew the enormity of the task and his complete ineptitude to carry it out.

And so, like children, the truly wise know to the depths of their soul that God is the sole animator, ruler, guide, and goal of their life. And that is the source of their joy, comfort, strength, perseverance.

Sometimes, maybe even oftentimes, God lets us work and do life while we think it is ourselves who are holding everything together. He lets this happen, sometimes, until everything falls apart, and we can search through the rubble to rediscover our foundation. And if we are wise, we ask Him to rebuild. We ask for His Will to be done.

I’m sure God has so much more planned for us if we would only give up the reigns. It’s not that He doesn’t think we can do more, there sometimes simply isn’t enough space for Him to work as freely as He wants to in our lives.

I feel this question keenly in my own life: What would God do through me if I would trust more fully in His power and not my own? How would He use me? What leader could I become?

Jesus, our eternal Leader and Friend, we surrender more of our hearts to Yours.

Father, teach us to trust you, even if it hurts.

Holy Spirit, teach us the wisdom of trusting children.

Amen.