Faith, Hope, Love

Faith makes you see God in the present moment.

Hope brings understanding that something is good in every tragedy.

Love held in a tragedy brings trust in God’s providence.

---- Mother Angelica

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13

July 27, 2017 - Love

You never truly know how much you love someone until you have to say goodbye.

And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. – 1 John 4:10

July 7, 2017 - Difficult

Which trail to take? - love, love, love my girls

Jesus had a habit of surrounding himself with unlikely people. Whenever he shared a meal with others, He seemed to have a knack of drawing the most unlikely people together: difficult people, awkward people, people with opposing and sometimes violent views, and people full of animosity toward those around Him* For many, this sounds like a typical holiday family gathering. Yet, when we listen to what Jesus has to say, people come together and a beautiful community forms. Whenever we look at others with the heart of Jesus, our love for one another will win out over opinions and ideals. We were all created in His image. We all have worth and find favor in His sight when we rest in His love.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

*paraphrased from laudete.com, Friday, July 7, pray-as-you-go.org daily meditation podcast

February 14 - Love

When you wake up every morning, you are faced with a choice. Let it be one to love.


And we believe and we know the love that God has for us, for God is love, and everyone who dwells in love dwells in God. - 1 John 4:16

September 23 - Love

The best advice of my life, came from my grandfather on my wedding day.  He told me there would be conflicts and disagreements. We would argue. There would be awakenings. But we could conquer it all by simply making one choice. In each moment, we have to choose to love the other. The need to follow this advice has poured over into many moments of my life, not reserved solely for my husband. My day to day brings up frustrations: on the freeways, in the stores, my co-workers, my neighbors, my family, my friends. The list could go forever. Yet, when we prepare for conflict resolution, we must remember this key element. We must love the other, the one whom God created. Within them lies His Spirit, His Son Jesus. Let love go before us and in every moment you face, you will store up blessings from heaven.

The crucible for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the tester of hearts is the Lord. - Proverbs 17:3

Friday, March 29, 2013 - Passion

Seeking justification of an action or cause can elicite great passion within people. Differences in views or circumstances can drive loved ones apart. As soldiers of Christ, we must be conduits in fighting for His Kingdom, yet never abandon His mercy and compassion toward others. Christ fights all battles with love. When we open our spirit to His Grace, we are better prepared to reach out to others with this same hope.

But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7

Monday, March 25, 2013 - Love

God has commissioned each of us with a purpose. Some are blessed to realize this purpose and are able to move forward with a clear and conscious vision. Others still seek, wondering and hoping to find their fit in life. Within everyone's journey lies the key to success. We hold the ability to claim our goal and to protect its purpose as sanctified by God.  This key does not hold a likely name. Fortitude, Tenacity, Strength, Perseverance; all of these are great virtues that lead us closer to our ends, but the true key to success is Love. In Pope Francis’ inaugural homily, he states “Let us protect with love all that God has given us! … To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope…” As we seek our niche in life, let us embrace our journey with an open heart, filled with good intentions and compassion for all. Let us Love.

 

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2

Thursday, February 14, 2013 - Love

When you wake up every morning, you are faced with a choice. Let it be one to love. 

And we believe and we know the love that God has for us, for God is love, and everyone who dwells in love dwells in God. - 1 John 4:16

Monday, February 11, 2013 - Actions

Yes, we know God can, but are we truly worthy enough that He would want to? If He wants to, is it right for Him to intervene? Would helping me hurt someone else? Am I more loved because he spared me and not another? Questions abound that can make our faith very shaky. And as long as we brood on these questions, we will never have an answer. Actions speak louder than words. When we find ourselves questioning God's motives, stop, for in all probability, we will never find the answers while we are still on this earth. What we must do is keep moving forward in faith. Place your thoughts into actions and become His hands to help another, His heart to love each other, and His voice to speak for another. When times are hard, we can be there in His compassion and hope. When we put our thoughts into action, we will find our answers. - Becki


They begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed - Matthew 14:36

Monday, January 14, 2013 - Can

Every so often a difficult moment fills us with overwhelming doubt. The odds appear insurmountable, the devastation surreal and we scream "I can't”.  Yet the reality is, this moment is here, and God is holding it in His hands. He has known about it before the beginning of the world, and has chosen to allow it for the good of His Kingdom. Christ willingly stepped into the pain for every individual.  He did not promise this would keep us from having pain of our own. His promise is: if we walk with Him through the pain, we will be able to arise victorious. So when fear finds us and despair reaches into our soul, remember, “we can”, one Grace at a time. – Becki

 

And David was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.  - 1 Samuel 30:6