Pain is only beautiful
once it’s grafted
into the heart
of Christ.
Don’t hesitate
to place
all the ugliness
you can’t bear
into that sacred space,
so high above,
yet walking right beside
us all along …
He carries
the weight of our world
like gold
into
His kingdom.
He transmutes
our worst nightmares
into grace
beyond our
wildest dreams.
What on earth
makes you think
you can possibly be
too heavy
for your Creator
to carry?
You never have been,
you never will be …
Will you allow yourself to be seen?
to be held?
to be lifted
into the Light
of Resurrection?
to be released?
Do you want
to be transformed
by the power
of Love?
Do you want
to become one
with the Divine?
What’s stopping you
from allowing yourself
to be healed?
1 Peter 5: So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
It’s easy to get bogged down by discouragement and feel stuck in a rut of heavy emotions like fear, regret, anger and grief.
But the truth is: your worth is not based on what you are feeling in this moment. Your worth is based on Christ’s unconditional love for you and power to draw you into union with His unconditional love and mercy.
Every time we “cast our cares on the Lord,” by offering up our struggles, He can bring us into closer union with Him through sufferings He went through on our behalf, ultimately leading us right into the heart of His victorious resurrection from the dead and triumph over all sin and death.
Too often, we try to carry our crosses on our own, when Jesus is right here waiting for us to spend time with Him in the stillness of prayer, so He can fill our hearts with the peace that surpasses understanding and draw us into an ever more fruitful relationship with Him in good times and bad.
Oscar Romero said “If we are worth anything, it is not because we have more money or more talent, or more human qualities. Insofar as we are worth anything, it is because we are grafted onto Christ’s life, his cross and resurrection. That is a person’s measure.”
Today, I encourage you to resist the temptation to base your worth on your human frailties and instead see any struggle you’re going through as an opportunity to lean more heavily on the Spirit of God and grow closer in union to Him.
Nothing you are going through can prevent you from grafting yourself into the heart of Christ and saying yes to the wild ride of faith He offers each and every one of us, which ultimately ALWAYS leads to our victory in Him, regardless of our own struggles and slipups along the way.
Wherever we happen to be on our own personal spiritual journey, our inherent worth is ensured by Christ, and that is very good news.
I hope these words of Saint Peter encourage you to remain steadfast in your faith through whatever hard time you’re going through! Ultimately, we’re all in this together.
1 Peter 5:5-14
Beloved:
Clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for:
God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.
So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
Be sober and vigilant.
Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith,
knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world
undergo the same sufferings.
The God of all grace
who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
after you have suffered a little.
To him be dominion forever. Amen.
I write you this briefly through Silvanus,
whom I consider a faithful brother,
exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.
Remain firm in it.
The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.
Greet one another with a loving kiss.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
What heavy burdens are you struggling right now? How do you see your worth in Christ, in spite of your human weakness and failings? In the silence of prayer, have you experienced the sensation of Christ lifting a burden off of your heart? Comment below, and I’ll be delighted to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Lord give us the grace to let go and offer up our struggles into your loving heart, so you can transform them into more love, wisdom, mercy and compassion to share with those around us. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org 4/25/2020