Encouragement

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Friday, June 24, 2005 †

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you” (Psalms 32:8).


Sometimes getting through a week can be a daunting task even for the most ambitious people. Our daily lives are always filled with so many activities that sometimes it is hard to see if our actions are priorities in a manner that would be pleasing to the Lord. For the Gospel Mathew 6:33 said, "Seek first His Kingdom.” What an all-encompassing demand! How can we ever be sure that we are living our lives each day and every day first and foremost in the honor of God? One way is for us to start examining what occupies our daily thoughts, time, and efforts; then we can answer the question for ourselves: are any of these things I do some how related to God or is for God?

Seeking His Kingdom first isn’t always the easiest thing to do in the real world. We might say: sure, if I lived the life of a priest, brother, sister, or clergy person, focusing on God everyday would be easy, but I am a lay woman, or a man, or a child which means I am also a mother, father, husband, wife, student, athlete, employee, neighbor, parishioner, volunteer and so on. And
none of these titles yet gives me any time to devote to my own goals, agendas, or dreams. There are so many things competing for our attention and it is not always possible to simply ignore or pretend that they don’t exist. When looking over our lives, all these things can give us quite an over whelming feeling and this is where the stress level starts climbing for the sky.

Well, “do not worry” (Mathew 6:31) because God is on your side and nothing is impossible with God. And as Christ had promised us before ascending into heaven we would not be left alone upon this earth. For through Jesus, God has poured forth the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Thus, the Spirit dwells within us and He never abandons us. If anyone who turns to the Holy Spirit for help, He would surely empower them. Remember God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we rely on the Holy Spirit, He will guide us every day so that we may choose the small steps that will bring us to the finish line that will bring us to God. As we learn to cooperate with the Spirit we will see God’s Kingdom established more in our lives.

So beseech the Holy Spirit in you today. Follow His guidance and take your first small step towards living a life that seeks the Kingdom of God. One example could be to start each day with a prayer asking the Spirit to mold Penance for you, guide you and teach you. Then at the end each day review your day; thank God for His blessings and ask Him for His forgiveness for where you’ve wronged Him or have fallen short of His desires. In this way, every day is truly a new day because guilt and sin does not weigh on your conscience.

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