Month: September 2017

In this life we will face hills and valleys. This is the inevitable truth in life and another reason to have a personal relationship with God. It is essential that each of us build a foundation of faith and deep roots in our prayer life for all the seasons of our life. As the trials in life, almost always unexpectedly come.

When we take the time to become rooted in God during the good times in our lives, the seasons with no adversity, the seasons of blessing and prosperity.We can be better prepared to weather the storms with peace, fortitude and hope.

I know in my life, I can say through it all, the many hills and valleys it has been God who has carried me. Gods mercy and love places those we need on our paths.

There have been Pastors who guided me with compassion when I needed them most. I believe I write about God, faith and love so much because these subjects touch all lives. I am passionate about God because I love him. Without God we are nothing, he doesn’t need us but yet yearns for our love, it is amazing to ponder on how the creator of the universe longs for our Love!

I hope and pray that I will be given signal graces to know which vocation he is calling me to. All vocations should be rooted in love. God is love. I want to do his will and often times my focus gets distracted with the world, in career goals, educational pursuits and the necessary steps to make a better life. All I desire is a peaceful, quite and simple life. A life of prayer and detachment from the world.A life where God and love is first.

I have witnessed many in the vocation of marriage and the testimony their lives reveal. I have the utmost respect for marriages that are open to life. The marriages that have been fruitful are blessed greatly by God.

Once a pastor told me a marriage not open to life is not a lasting marriage. I have always remembered his words. There are so many beautiful gifts with each vocation and for the vocation of marriage a new life is the greatest.

If you are facing struggles and trials in your life right now or maybe just anxiety about your next step in life, I encourage you to have hope and pray. When you reflect on the longings of your heart, your dreams, ponder on how you feel after. Do you feel peace? If not consider whether you are pursuing your will rather than God’s will and keep praying.

Wherever you are in life, I encourage you to pray always, in all seasons and for all those on your path. You never know what battles someone may be facing and how much they need your prayer. Your prayers could be the catalyst for grace in someones life.

One of my favorite prayers is simply this: “For all those who pray for me”.  I usually offer this intention with all my other special intentions when I begin a rosary each day.

I honestly don’t why I didn’t start saying this prayer sooner. I believe it is important to pray for those you know but we should also pray for those in this world who have no one to pray for them. Imagine all the people that may be praying for you in this moment and you don’t know how God has worked in your life because of such prayers. There are selfless souls out there who pray for so many. This is what amazes me about prayer.

Prayer is so powerful and there are no limits to our petitions in asking for good to be bestowed on our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I believe one of the most powerful prayers, is simply praying for those who have hurt you as it changes your heart and helps you to love as Jesus loves.

What is your favorite prayer? Have you thought about who may be praying for you or do you know someone who needs prayer?

I am praying for everyone who reads my blog and I ask for your prayers.

Amanda

 

Life is beautiful, despite the pain and the trials, God always provides hope. He gives us the will to fight, to survive but more than that, he gives us the longing to love and be loved.

There is a song titled: Life and Death by Paul Cardall ,if you have not listened to it, I encourage you to. This songs beauty is powerful, striking, it is ethereal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jluCcb_iBvQ

When I first discovered this song only a few weeks ago, I shared it with my beloved Mother Madolyn. That’s what we do when we love, we share all things that are good and beautiful with one another. When we love, we also allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We share our weaknesses and the flaws we are ashamed of. The imperfections many of us see, that make us afraid that we are not worthy of love, are magnified in our minds.

It’s in the times when I have felt so unworthy of love by not being perfect, by not being where I want to be in life, by allowing fear and doubt to creep into my mind and heart. It’s in those moments, that my mother Madolyn gives me such comfort by her love, and the way she encourages me. Her love has given me great faith and renewed hope in having a good life filled with potential. A life with the beauty of unconditional love and God’s blessings.

I have always admired the beauty of her marriage and the powerful love that I have witnessed through her vocation as a wife and mother. Madolyn, is a beacon of love, she is a holy woman of God. She is kind, beautiful and generous. Her heart, is as if it were a magnet to all those who are in pain and suffering. She has a way of making you feel so loved, of soothing your spirit with the joy she brings wherever she is and I thank God for her every day.

She is a mother who has given me love, a mother who has given me guidance, a mother who has given me unwavering hope by her unconditional love.

As I write, I am playing this beautiful song, Life and Death. I glance at a picture of her and Deacon Mike on their wedding anniversary in Italy. This photo in my living room captures a moment but this moment, is surreal. The beauty of this picture is exquisite, beyond what words can convey. Their bond is captured in this powerful and beautiful image. The essence of their vocation and true love emanates from this moment in time in the most captivating way, it is my favorite photo of them.

This life brings many people on our paths, some just stay for a moment in the whole perspective of your life. Others stayed until many lessons were learned. But the souls that God places on your journey to walk along side with you, such as my mother Madolyn are to be treasured.

Whether you are single, in a relationship or married, cherish, I say it again, Cherish the loved ones he has blessed you with. Cherish your true friends for they are few and hard to find. Never go a day without telling those you love that you love them!

I like to reflect on the beautiful perspective that my dear mother Madolyn shared with me after she listened to the song by Paul Cardall. She reflected and pondered on Life, the beauty of the journey of life from the moment of conception to death. Take a moment to visualize this, imagine yourself a cluster of cells in your mother’s womb and all the moments of your life, your youth and where you are now. Life is an amazing journey and God is with us all along, The Way.

I hope and pray that you can see the blessings that have been given to you, especially in hindsight as time has passed. The time you have been given, the moments, the decisions you have made, which have made you who you are today. The people on your path have also shaped and blessed you more than you could ever know, in ways only known by God.

In all the days that I have lived in my life, all I know is time has shown me over and over again, that all that matters in this life, is LOVE. God is love, and Love endures, it heals and Love gives hope.

I have had many days where I longed to no longer endure or fight in life, where weariness and pain almost won, when it felt like I couldn’t go on.  I thank God for my life and the Love of God has always been with me. For God blessed me most graciously, in the gift of my mother Madolyn. In her I see such beauty and strength.  I admire her wisdom, she inspires me and she has been the mother I always needed. Her Love has been an example of how God loves and he’s given me such a beautiful gift through her. I do not know all the time that I may have ahead of me, but I do know I will thank God for her all of my days.  For she is the greatest gift in my life. So in this moment and so many more to come, I celebrate the life of my Mother Madolyn with great joy and greater Love! May she be blessed with all her hearts desires and may she always know what a treasure she is.

Who is the greatest gift in your life? How have they shaped and influenced who you are? Remember we only have today, tell them you love them.

I love you momma,

Amanda