Living Deeply

Embracing Brokenness (Alan Nelson)

Brokenness is like manure in our lives. At first it seems anything but appealing, but it fertilizes our souls so that they will bear fruit for serving the Lord. In the context of fruitfulness, Galatians 5:24 says, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” The Scriptures are teeming with similar verses, mandating the death of the old self land the deeds of the flesh. Fruist of the Spirit grows out of soil fertilized by the decaying old nature. The very source of our frustration with a self-centered lifestyle actually becomes the humus for spiritual growth.

Between You and God, Anyway (Mother Teresa)

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

The Chisel of the Sculptor (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A thick and shapeless tree-trunk would never believe
that it could become a statue, admired as a miracle of sculpture,
and would never submit itself to the chisel of the sculptor,
who sees by her genius what she can make of it.
I ask for the grace to let myself be shaped by my loving Creator.

Letting Go

I ask for the grace
to let go of my own concerns
and be open to what God is asking of me,
to let myself be guided and formed by my loving Creator.

Lord, I am yours

Lord, I so wish to prepare well for this time.
I so want to make all of me ready and attentive and available to you.
Please help me to clarify and purify my intentions.
I have so many contradictory desires.
I get preoccupied with things that don't really matter or last.
I know that if I give you my heart,
whatever I do will follow my new heart.

In all that I am today, all that I try to do,
all my encounters, reflections - even the frustrations and failings and especially in this time of prayer, in all of this may I place my life in your hands.
Lord, I am yours. Make of me what you will. Amen

Go To God To Be Transformed and Changed (Anthony Bloom)

We see that we cannot partake deeply of the life of God unless we change profoundly.  It is therefore essential that we should go to God in order that he should transform and change us, and that is why, to begin with, we should ask for conversion.  Conversion in Latin means a turn, a change in the direction of things.  The Greek work metanoia means a change of mind.

Conversion means that instead of spending our lives in looking in all directions, we should follow one direction only.  It is a turning away from a great many things which we value solely because they were pleasant of expedient for us.  The first impact of conversion is to modify our sense of values:  God being at the center of all, everything acquires a new position and a new depth.  All that is God’s, all that belongs to him, is positive and real.  Everything that is outside him has no value or meaning.

But it is not a change of mind alone that we can call conversion.  We can change our minds and go no farther; what must follow is an act of will and unless our will comes into motion and is redirected Godwards, there is no conversion; at most there is only an incipient, still dormant, and inactive change in us.