I recently picked up a small booklet I had been carrying around in my purse forever it seems, and finally on a day scheduled for my 80,000-mile service on my Kia, I was directed to the waiting area to wait for my car, I pulled the tiny booklet from its forgotten place and began to read. It was entitled, “How to Discern God’s Will for your Life” by Bishop Robert Barron.
I had just finished a great book study, facilitated by a deep and faithful dear friend: “Megan”, so I was ready to read while waiting, with the freshness of having just finished the book study.
Then came the desire to write this article regarding “What is The Path of a greatest Love”?
It gave me food for thought. “What is the path of greatest love, and what should I do, what does God want me to do? How do I discern? What is God’s Will for my Life?
I’d have to start with the promise I made to myself and to God at the beginning of this year, 2022. To read the Bible from beginning to end, a little bit each day, and to reflect on the Divine Word. I have succeeded so far, (usually waking at 1 a.m. and reading where I left off in the Bible the night before), praying the rosary for people in my life, (intercessory prayers) for souls passed, and then returning to slumber (hopefully) around 3 a.m., all the while asking My Lord, “what do you want from me?
Several years back, after experiencing great sorrow and heartfelt pain over my daughter and son choosing to remove me from their lives, including removing my ability to see my grandchildren, I retreated to deep meditative prayer, praying to the Holy Spirit, Our Lord, the Saints, my Guardian Angel, The Holy Mother. This gave me great comfort in many ways to help with the loneliness and rejection.
So, in answer to the question of “What is The Path of Greatest Love” it would be the following:
I want the best for people in general, strangers, friends, and family. This is an act of willing the good for others regardless of what has taken place in my life because I love God so much. It is Him I try to please every day, every moment that I turn to Him. I want the best for my spouse. I wanted the best for my two adult children. When they were growing up which required tough love at times, some of which (like all parents I guess), I would do things differently if I could go back. I would gladly do that for the good of my children.
Someone asked me recently, where is God in all this evil. God did not create evil, mankind did. We all have been given the gift of “free will”, yet one chooses evil or good. God is there to give us what we need, wanting the best for each of us if we just ask.
Whatever God’s Will is for me now at the age I am, I am thankful He has allowed me time to live each day, hopefully, better than the day before and better tomorrow than today. With all the evil that is going on in the world, families should love one another, forgiving faults, staying in touch, being thankful for what they have. Does this mean we all live without trials and errors? No, but we accept and improve what we don’t like about ourselves because we love the one who created us and want to be with Him in the eternal life.
Maybe few will read this post, and I have no doubt that there are those who don’t believe in the one who created all things. But as for me and my desire to believe as I do, there will come a day when He calls me home, and I want to be ready within my heart and soul. I pray that I will see my children and grandchildren before that day, but if not, I want them to know that I love them, and I “will” the good for each of them.
Final Quote by Jacques Phillippe: Love expands and breathes in an atmosphere of free giving. We must be able to waste time for another person. We will gain great benefits from that “waste”: Mt.10:39, He who loses his life for my sake will find it”
If we make God our first concern, God will look after our affairs much better than we ever can….” Time for God” by Jacques Philippe
Well said Lynn.
Micah 6:8 says this, “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”
Then there’s this (not a direct quote from the Bible, but it certainly expresses a Biblical concept): “Our lives are too valuable, Our calling is too great, Our God is too good, To waste our lives on Things that do not matter!” God has so much better planned for our lives than we do! A thought expressed by several believers in recent weeks comes to mind…..there comes a time in the life of everyone on this planet to accept Christ as Savior or not. God’s promise is that whosoever seeks Him will find Him. For those who choose to accept Christ as their Savior there comes another place of decision; to go on living for themselves as they always have or to surrender their lives to Christ and follow Him as Lord. For me, this surrender has been incremental as I have invited God into every crevice of my life – areas I kept to myself in the past. The path of surrender…..the process of sanctification…..dying to self, living for Christ. Living with eternity in mind. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you Mike for such an in-depth response, so true to the words given by Our Lord and His way of reminding us of the true meaning of ‘Love”, Can you imagine what our world would be like if we all lived to Love as God asked? Hummmmmmm…..
I think that is called HEAVEN!
Hi Lynn your last to post were awesome really enjoyed them both. God bless and thanks again for everything
I appreciate the words given and I know they were from your heart, a heart that loves God very much
Thank you Phil for taking time to read what I write when it is on my heart to do so.
Beautifully written Soldier of Christ. Living a life of loving God and of loving your neighbor (of which all of the prophets and in which all of scripture is based) is indeed a life well lived and a loving legacy, God smiles!
You are my biggest fan, but you too know the meaning. Thank you from my heart