Life is like the Ocean

Greetings to all my friends out there! I cannot believe its been over a month since I last wrote anything here. Today is the last day in February and if I didn't write this piece I would have skipped the month entirely.

So much has happened to keep me busy, so many little trials and triumphs...life is very much like an ocean's surf (I share more on this below) constantly ebbing and flowing, never staying still. I have found myself more and more distant from cyberland...reading... less, writing...none!

So, let me just give you a quick update...that is if I have any readers left at this point!

January

I began my bible study with the Good Morning Girls on the Book of Luke. In this month I also crossed my two-year mark as a blogger. No fanfare... but quiet revelations on my priorities. I began my blog from a transitional place, from a time of great healing and blessings from God. I wanted to share these things, to be a part of communities. I have come to question if I can be an effective blogger. I do LOVE to write...at this point, prioritizing my writing in the face of all else that is going on seems to be an issue for me. I also question my motives...do I write for attention or to glorify God? My small and spontaneous sabbatical is teaching me a lot, as is my bible study.

February

A month that has been full of joy and full of pain. This month we celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. It was also the first time we have had to remember my mother-in-law's birthday since her death last year. It has also been a time of much trial for us. I cannot begin to tell you how much our faith has been stretched, pulled, tested. In one weekend alone, our refrigerator went down, our water pump began to give trouble and my car's air-conditioning system stopped working. This is just part of all that has been happening...I have started to feel as Job must have felt.

In this season of Lent, I have vowed to spend more time with the Lord...He alone knows how much I need it! I have been doing partial or whole Holy Hours of Reparation, where I meditate on His passion and offer prayers of reparation and penance. During these quiet times, the Lord has ministered to me and here is something I got recently. This is written in the second person because this is how I received it.

Life is like the ocean...it never stands still. You will never be in one place all the time. Sometimes there is calm and peace.

These are the times in your life when you become complacent...everything is going well, so you don't feel that you need God as much. Do you pray as often when you are content? Do you think of sacrificing or offering anything to Him? Do you remember to say thank you during this time? It is easy to lie back and drift in the smooth undulating motion of the waves now.


Then there are times when the waves get stormy and toss you about.

Save me Lord!

You cling to your lifesaver, Jesus. You cry out for help, you prostrate yourself begging to be saved. You are willing to fast and do not let a moment pass when a prayer of supplication is not on your lips.


Then there are the tides...at high tide, the waves rush to shore...the beach may become impassable. The surf crashes upon the rocks violently.

The Lord is mightier than the noise of many waters...

It is difficult to hear the voice of the Saviour then, you feel abandoned. You think "Why isn't God hearing my prayer, why is it so hard to feel His presence."  It is during these times that you are vulnerable to a crisis of faith, when we listen to the enemy whispering to our souls.  It is now that you question God "Why, what have I done to deserve this? How much more can I possibly bear?"

The low tide comes...  the tide ebbs and leaves behind debris and treasures from the sea. Ah yes, this is when the crisis of faith passes, you have come through to the other side. You can now walk along the beach and see what this time, this trial has brought to your life. Believe it or not...there ARE treasures there!

Treasures in the flotsam and jetsam?

Trials are not meant to break you, but to make you stronger, to shape you and to make you grow in your faith. During these times, you must lean heavily upon God and not give in to the temptation to turn inward. Scripture says:  Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding."  God loves us and knows what is best for us. If we could but trust in Him to see us through, He will make the way Proverbs 3:6 "in all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight."

How you react to trials and hardships is what determines the level of your growth. You must keep strong in the faith. Even in the darkness of these trials, there is the brilliant rays of His Divine Mercy and infinite love shining upon you. If you expose yourself to this light, you will blossom and grow as a bud that is slowly opening under the rays of the sun.  Be joyful and give thanks and praise, even in the midst of suffering for nothing frustrates the enemy more than praising God!

 Psalm 34:1-3 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice! Glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together"

So dear friends, in the light (or darkness rather) of all these trials I am finding  my way slowly but surely and learning new things each day. As we say farewell to February, I hope that you are all well and wish you all God's blessings and, God willing, I will write more in March.


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