‘Disaster is only a phone call away!’
Interruptions
I often talk often about having plan A, B, C etc. I know that sticking rigidly and stubbornly to one plan brings unhappiness. Sometimes I open up my emails wondering what ‘problems’, new challenges I will find. I heard somebody in leadership quoted who said, ‘Disaster is only a phone call away’.
I must admit that despite my head knowledge about being flexible, living the moment, not being unduly attached to plans and programs, I do not always find it easy to put this into practice.
I need daily reminders to put all these things into practice.
Prayer is a daily reminder
Setting some time for daily prayer. Having some regular time set aside to read the scriptures and to ‘tune in’ to God, I find to be helpful, essential. Tuning in to God means being with God, letting God speak to my heart, centring and connecting with grace.
The Eucharist
The Eucharist is another great reminder about living with true freedom. The Eucharist is about hope. It is about God’s eternal faithfulness to Jesus and to us. The unexpected, the painful, the anxieties, the betrayals, the embarrassments, the humiliations in no way stop us being held lovingly in the hands of God.
In the Eucharist we enter into the passion and death of Jesus, share in his resurrection, and the promise of an eternity with Him and with each other.
Other reminders
I find it helpful to me to read about the experiences of other Christians and how they have responded to the challenges in life with faith and hope, sometimes while facing huge challenges.
Since the Holy Spirit blows where the Spirit wants, I see the actions of the Holy Spirit in lives of other good people beyond the Christian community, such as Mahatma Gandhi, and others like him.
Past mistakes
I am sure that all of us wish that we could have acted otherwise with some of our past mistakes, even sins.
However, God does turn to good everything for us. As long as we are acting with integrity and doing our best to make amends, and learn not to repeat our past mistakes, we must not get de-energised in excessive guilt and let the healing power of Christ heal and liberate us. God meets us where we are and never expects the impossible from us.
The healing and restorative power of God in nature
Nature can ground us, keep us down to earth. The cycles of life, the seasons, the colour, the energy, the earth, the sky, all aspects of nature remind us that we are part of something bigger. We are not pure spirits. Yes, we certainly are spiritual beings, but we are also flesh and part of nature. A nature changed with the grandeur of God.
So, in the ‘interruptions’ of life there are new opportunities and invitations to live in faith. To trust in the promises given by Jesus.
When we are anchored in Jesus, we share His story, when we remember that He shares our story we have hope. We can embrace life. We can take a deep breath with our feet down to earth and be reminded of hope. It is not about pretence, it is not about denial, pain is pain whatever form it takes. It is about being partakers in the Paschal mystery. Partakers in the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is always hope, we are created to live life to the fullest.
