Words

Inside all of us is a spirit. We all have one, and we all have some sort of spiritual life that resides in us; no matter if we attend church daily, weekly, monthly or just a couple of times a year. We all have the same spirit that the Lord breathed into Adam when he formed him out of dust. We have a spirit that is given to us by the Father in heaven. When we are baptised and begin to walk with God, it is in those little moments that our Spirit become alive and active in us. It is now that it longs to be fed.

We continue to walk with God, our Spirit grows and we grow in christ. We fed that Spirit within by attending church and learning about Jesus and His ways. We continue to grow through things in the church like prayer and Bible study. Yet, what we often don't realize is that the we are also fed by the words that we hear on the radio, friends / family members, tv and any other sources that we tend to listen to during the day. Our spirit is affected by what we listen to and what is being spoken to us.

Yet, these words are vital to that spirit, and what we are surrounding ourselves with it also holds a lot of power in our lives. Words that are spoken can hurt and wound us deeply. They are able to strike deeper and sharper then any sword or spear could ever imigine to go. These same worlds are there and are able to bring us great Love and joy from Heaven. There is a love that we are freely given by Jesus and all we have to do is ask for it and He is willing to show it to all of us because of His death on the cross.

Our Spirit that we hold within us is one that is very fragile. It wounds easily by words and actions of others. We can be hurt by someone saying something mean or out of context and then the wound forms and bleeds within us. It is in these moments that we long for the affirmation that someone out there care and does love us for who we are, not because of what we do or have done. The spirit man is gentle, and is one who needs to be uplifted in Church or by those who we are in constant contact with on a daily basis.

So the question become who are you listening to and what are they saying to you. Is it Godly things that are to lift ones spirit. Are we around people who love and care for us like family or are we around those who are dragging us down slowly to be miserable. Misery does love company after all. Look at who and what is said to you and around you, then question is this what my Spirit needs to hear, or can I find another to talk to who will lift me up and help that fragile Spirit heal and grow daily.

Wandering

There are times in our lives that we seem to be wanders in time.  We seem to be some sort of Nomad at that moment. A time where we all seem to lose our sense of direction, or have moved of the beaten path in the forest. We tend to move and look about at all that is surrounding us and move along looking for the guide that we are to be following in the desert, yet we are not sure where we wandered off but it can't be too far, they have to be close, afterall I just seen the guide and the group not that long ago. Yet, I am not sure when that was since something caught my attention and I went to explore the world over here. Wait! Does anyone know that I am not there? Do they realize that I am out here alone? I need to get back to that place where they are, now what way did I come from; it all looks the same out here.

Or maybe we are more like the Isrealites, where we wander in the desert for a long period of time, because we are not listening to the voice of God. Maybe, we are so wrapped up in the sin in our lives that we are no longer able to hear His voice or feel His Holy Presence. It is in those moment's we would swear that God has left our side and we feel alone. As if God is hiding in another room, in some other building in a different city and state. We look for Him in Sunday morning church, yet we feel nothing. Like we are walking in a land of dry dead bones. Yet, when we speak to others, it is in that moment we realize that they are in the middle of a downpour, that His spirit is flooding them and comforting them, giving them comfort. It is then that we start to wonder what happened to us, why am I here in the dry land and yet the rain is all around me.

Could it be that sin we are not willing to let go of is really holding us back from the Heavenly Father? Is it the sin, or maybe I have done more then I realize and that there is no way that God will ever forgive me so we walk in the worldly things instead of Godly things. It could be that sin has taken such a stronghold in our lives because we stopped praying and seeking God in His word. Yet, how do we pray if God is not going to listen to me, or forgive me for all that I had done, or better yet why would He want me back if He know what I have done and tried lately?

The beauty of the wandering soul in the land of dry and weary bones, is that it won't and can't last forever. God will send His rain if you ask, He can wash over you with rain so pure and refreshing that will draw you into Him more they you can ever imagine. He will send His rain, but if there is sin in your life that you need to be washed from then repent, and call out to God, He is there and will answer you when you call. The beauty of His Blood that was shed is that once we ask for forgiveness He see that sin no more, we become clean, and able to walk with Him on a new level that we may not realize exists at this moment.

His forgiveness, His rain that refreshes the soul is there for all of us. Cry out to the Father, ask Him the questions, yell, cry, weep, He is able to take all that you are willing Him. Then wait and Listen to His response. He is there with you in the dry land, He is there with you in the moments of weeping and heartache. His hands are there wanting to Hold you close to His side when the trails and pain come flooding over you. His healing hands are there in those moments, if we are willing to cry out to as our Heavenly Father. If we are willing to let go of all those things that are holding us back from God, we are able to grow in Him and become closer to the Father then we can ever dream. We can come to the point that when we call out "Lord, walk with me and hold my hand through this" we will sense Him there with us and He is always near, He won't leave us nor forsake us becase we are His beloved Children.

So if we feel like wandering out there, realize that God is but a prayer away, all we have to do is cry out to Him and He will come. He is there if we are willing to allow Him to be there.

Sea of Love

Love is a mighty splendid thing. It is a wonderful emotion that is vital to our very existence. It is the thing that keeps us going when times get hard, it is that thing that gives us warm fuzzies inside when it happens. When we fall into that sea of love it tends to overtake all that we are, and occupies us to a whole new level. Love is that very thing we draw to when we have feeling have been hurt or someone / something has wounded our heart. Love lives within us. It is there and we chose who and when to display that love to others. Amazingly there are different kinds of love, there is the loves we have for our spouse, our children, friends, family members, church family, out priests or pastors, the teachers that our children love, or hate because they are a little tough on them to help them achieve their full potential in the classroom. Yet, we don't really think about Love that way, we know the thoughts and feeling of love, and we seem to run with it when it happens.

Yet, there is so much more to love then the simple emotion. There are the actions of love as well. That someone thinks of you often helps you when you are down because they care for you and about you. Love is there in the daycare, where you leave the children for 8 to 10 hours a day. Love is present in the nursing homes where the elderly are left and no one come to visit. The staff is there to talk to them, hold their hands, listen to their stories, and simply share life with them when they are feeling blue. Love is there in the ER when the doctors and nurses are running around to save or help the one that you love feel better, or if one passes they are there to help you grieve, bring you resource to help you deal with the death of a loved one that is unexpected, they listen, they care for you and all that has just happened. They are there because not only do they love to help others, but they are also a source of support and a listening ear when things go wrong. There is love that is happening in rehab home as those who are there are struggling to learn or relearn skills. The staff are there to rejoice with them when small steps are going right and there is an improvement, it may be a small one that is easily overlooked, but to the individual it is amazing, and staff understand that and rejoice with them.

There is love in the supermarkets, the Target stores, the Wal-Marts, Kohls and any other business that one may go to on a daily basis for work. There is a sense of family that is able to develop around you with co-workers. We start to develop friendships at work. There are people we like to talk to when things go wrong, others we can tell anything too, and some we like to shop with or go out with at the end of the night. In it all there is a friendship that forms and binds us to one another and at the center of it is Love. Love is there when we worry about a co-worker is not coming to work, and we are not sure what has happened to them. We have a bond with those individuals that tend to go a little deeper then just a person we work with, when essential we come to care and love them as a part of a extended family. We may not celebrate holidays with them but yet we care for them and worry about them if something is going wrong in their lives and all seems to be crashing down around them.

Although, at the center of all love is God. He is love, he shows us His love by dying on the cross and taking all the sins that we have ever committed or could ever conceive of committing and wipes our slate clean. He loves us with an love that there is no other love that is able to compare to it. It is a love that is always present in us, we know that God cares and loves us on a daily basis, and that there is no way we can earn that love. Rather, His love is freely give to all those who are willing to accept Him and walk with Him, talk to Him through prayer. We are able to run to Him in our times of need and never, ever will He call us needy, or childish! He is there waiting and wanting to shower us with His love is we go to Him. We are able to learn about Him through reading and worshiping Him in our homes, along with attending mass / church on Sunday morning. If we are truly lucky we are able to attend church or mass more so we are able to commune with Him on a more intimate level. By growing in God and in His Love we are able to reach out to other and show them the Love of Christ through our action, our words and by just being a Child of God in these hard times. We have the opportunity to love and be loved by the Father in Heaven, why not accept the free gift that he offers us and walk in His love daily.

Quietness

At times in our lifes there is a sense of quietness, a time where there is nothing that is vital that has to be done. A time of refreshing that occurs, and often we miss it. We look for the things that we are missing, or should be doing at that moment in time, rather then being truly refreshe by God. We may fill our heads with the fact that we need to do more community work, more time at the church, need to find the right job if we are unemployed or under paid for what we do for a living. Yet, we struggle with doing nothing, we feel that we must be productive all the time that we have available, are we reading the best seller, hunting for the bargins now that christmas is a month away, or are we planning the big event with all the family. We are always thinking and planning things out that are about to happen or events that are coming in our lives. Now planning is good, yet at what point do we stop and let the Spirit of God refresh us.

We become so wrapped up in the events and things that life throws at us that we don't take the time to become refeshed by God. We can't understand that the quietness is vital, and important  to the refreshing of the soul. It is in the quietness that we stop and listen to God, that we bask in His love. Yet, when we fimally take that time to be quiet in God, it is then that we remember the list for the grocery store, what the kids need for the class project, or the last conversation we had with a family member or a stranger at the store and our mind then wonders. So then we stop and get up and lose that moment with the Heavenly Father. Then we go and do all those things that came to our minds in those 15 seconds of quietness. Yes, a time to think and reflect on everything, but the purpose is to sit with God and be quiet with him to allow Him to minister to us and give our souls what it needs at that moment in time.

We tend to get so caught up in everything that we disturb that peace of the Heavenly Father. We think, process all kinds of things rather then sitting and really focusing on God. Yes, it is a habit that is to be deveolped, but it is vital to the soul to spend this time in prayer with the Father. It is for the outpouring of our soul, but also a time to become refreshed in God! A time when we sit in His love, His peace, and truly listen to the Father and hear from Him. To know that He is near, that he is listening to you and really loves you for who you are right now! That there is nothing more that he wants from you other then to sit and spend time with you on a daily bases. He longs for your company and that quiet time so He can minster to you where you are and meet those needs that only He can meet at this point in your life.

We all need to learn that it is in this quietness that we are truly refreshed. But more then refreshed in God, that we are able to rest in His presence. It is in these moments that we feel the Father's loving arms around us, and know without a shodow of a doubt that He is near to us and will never leave us no matter what happens in our lives. He is there if we shall call upon Him, and in that quietness we may find the love that we need, or answers that we are seeking. It is in this quietness that we find a spiritual  peacefulness!

Where do you run?

There are some of us that talk to others, some that turn to friends, others that run to the church, pastors and priests and then there are some that are more comfortable bearing their souls to a total stranger, an outsider, a therapist. All are acceptable in a time of needm and we all need to have someone, somewhere that we are able to run in those times in our lives that we are struggling with personal, interpersonal or just stuff that is happening in our lives, We all have to have a refuge that we can bear the hurts, pains and wounds that we carry deep within us that many do not know that they even exist.

As humans we need to have someone that can talk to us and listen, really listen to what we are saying and not judge us by what we are feeling or thinking at that moment. We need to feel safe bearing our souls to someone when we are in need, or have pain deep within us, espicially when it is willing and coming to the surface. At these times it can be hard to see options, or think that anyone has ever been in this place where we sit in the midst of all the pain, and open wounds that are bleeding and we try as we may to cover them but just can't seem to get that bleeding to stop. It is in those moments that we tend to run to others that we trust or look for someone out there in the world that we feel safe with to share all that is within us at that moment. Someone who is willing to explore those thoughts and feelings, or look at the pain and what is happening in another light, someone who is there for us in the time of our need.

We all have these times in our lives, some have more than others, but we all go through tough and trying times in life. As Christians we have the ultimate comfortator there willing and want to help if we just reach out to him. As a Christian we have Jesus there at our calling, we can reach up to heaven and have Him come down to us and hold us in a time of need, He is there listening, and won't judge you for what you are feeling. He is there to wipe away all the tears, and will always be near. His love is never ending and he is always awake so it doesn't matter if it is 2 in the afternoon or four o'clock in the morning. Jesus does not sleep, and never see's his children as a bother or a problem. He is there waiting for you to call out to Him.

Yet, sometimes we reach out and still feel that we need more, that we need a human here on earth to talk to, it is then that we run to the church. We turn to the priest, a pastor, a leader in the church. We seek out someone that will understand what we are going through and can help us see God is there with us in the middle of the storm that we are in at the moment. We reach out and see that there is love here for us in the church, that God's love is all around us in the church. That the priest have a true heart for the people and that when we are hurting, they too feel the pain that we bear in our souls. They see us and love us as their family, so when we hide all our pain and hurts, it is then that we are hurtung our spiritual leaders as well. They are there for the church, but more importantly they are there for the people. They truly care for us as the members of the church. They love and care for us as their family, and want us to call them in the times of need, and not to run and hide in the back of the church or the fake smile on Sunday morning. I am sure they don't want us calling them at 3am, unless it is an emergency, but knowing several pastors and priests over the years, I know they want us to call them in the am if we need to talk and are struggling with finding or seeing God work in us, through us or simply knowing that God is still there and has not walked away from us when we are in need, pain and misery.

They are there to walk with us, guide us and help us walk with the heavenly father. The priest / pastors are there reaching out and asking that we call then when our faith is weak, and we are climbing out of the lowly pit that we may be in and can't seem to be able to grasp that rock to pull ourselves up off the floor. They are there reaching their hand down, saying grab ahold, I am here to help you my child. I am here to pray with you, show you the Father in heaven and be a shoulder you can cry on without any judgement or shame. Call me and I will help you, I am here for you always, just like the Father in heaven. Reach out in the times of need and you will see the love of the heavenly father reaching to you through others and through your priest / pastor of the church.