Hidden Mercy
Do you want to discover a hidden mercy of God in your life? If so, I need you to reflect on something really quick- What do you wish you could change or take out of your life right now?
Think, is there a relationship that is causing you pain, do you have financial anxiety, stress over the demands put on you, or an illness in your family?
Now here is the secret:
Whatever you have just thought of, whatever it is that is causing you sorrow, it is here that Our Lord wants to meet you. This very place of pain, loneliness and suffering is where you will find God at work- transforming your life and those around you. This cross in your life, is actually a gift.
Yes, you did read that right! It is a very hard thing to grasp but it is true all the same- all of our pains and greatest of sufferings are really a gift of mercy from Our Lord.
Let me give you a quick example from scripture.
Lets think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We all know the story well, the beautiful forgiveness and mercy that a father has for his wayward son. We know this symbolizes our Heavenly Father and his desire to forgive all of our repented sins!
What many people do not know is that there is another aspect to God's beautiful mercy displayed in this same parable. There is another way that Our Lord shows His "greatest attribute," as St. Faustina would say, that many people often overlook.
If we look back into the beginning of this parable of the Prodigal Son, we can see this overlooked aspect to God's mercy. You see, when the son asked his father for his share of the inheritance and left to live out his life in the way he thought would be the most pleasing to him, his father didn't stop him. In fact, the father, in his wisdom, allowed his son to carry out his plans of self indulgence and pleasure, keeping the end results in mind. The father knew that at some point his son would suffer the consequences of the series of bad choices he made. In essence, the father allowed his son to go through great pain and suffering, to the point of almost starving to death and homeless, so that a deep conversion and change of heart could be brought out through this trial. The father, in his mercy, allowed his son to endure great suffering to bring about a greater good that would not have been if he had not suffered and endured the trials that he had.
In our own lives, God shows us this "hidden mercy" in all of our pains and sufferings. He wants to bring about a greater good that would not have been had you not endured the trials that you have.
All people suffer. We all have things in our lives that we wish were not there. We think if we were to remove these trials, then our lives would be much better. Although, in reality, the very things in our lives that we wish would go away are the places in which God is working in His mercy to make us holy. God, in His mercy, allows us to suffer or to go through certain trails, so that we may become saints and save souls while we do it!
Going forward, I will be posting ideas and inspirations for you to reflect on and unpack all the beautiful mercies in your own life. Let me know if there is something you have a question about or if you have any comments by writing in the comments section at the bottom of this post on www.songofmercy.blogspot.com. And don't forget to subscribe to have these posts go directly to your e-mail by entering in your e-mail address at the top of this page.
Together, we will sing of God's Mercies in our Lives!
Sometimes my worst day- one filled with pain and suffering- in the eyes of God, is my best day if I've born it cheerfully and I've born it with love. ~Mother Angelica
Think, is there a relationship that is causing you pain, do you have financial anxiety, stress over the demands put on you, or an illness in your family?
Now here is the secret:
Whatever you have just thought of, whatever it is that is causing you sorrow, it is here that Our Lord wants to meet you. This very place of pain, loneliness and suffering is where you will find God at work- transforming your life and those around you. This cross in your life, is actually a gift.
Yes, you did read that right! It is a very hard thing to grasp but it is true all the same- all of our pains and greatest of sufferings are really a gift of mercy from Our Lord.
Let me give you a quick example from scripture.
Lets think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We all know the story well, the beautiful forgiveness and mercy that a father has for his wayward son. We know this symbolizes our Heavenly Father and his desire to forgive all of our repented sins!
What many people do not know is that there is another aspect to God's beautiful mercy displayed in this same parable. There is another way that Our Lord shows His "greatest attribute," as St. Faustina would say, that many people often overlook.
If we look back into the beginning of this parable of the Prodigal Son, we can see this overlooked aspect to God's mercy. You see, when the son asked his father for his share of the inheritance and left to live out his life in the way he thought would be the most pleasing to him, his father didn't stop him. In fact, the father, in his wisdom, allowed his son to carry out his plans of self indulgence and pleasure, keeping the end results in mind. The father knew that at some point his son would suffer the consequences of the series of bad choices he made. In essence, the father allowed his son to go through great pain and suffering, to the point of almost starving to death and homeless, so that a deep conversion and change of heart could be brought out through this trial. The father, in his mercy, allowed his son to endure great suffering to bring about a greater good that would not have been if he had not suffered and endured the trials that he had.
In our own lives, God shows us this "hidden mercy" in all of our pains and sufferings. He wants to bring about a greater good that would not have been had you not endured the trials that you have.
All people suffer. We all have things in our lives that we wish were not there. We think if we were to remove these trials, then our lives would be much better. Although, in reality, the very things in our lives that we wish would go away are the places in which God is working in His mercy to make us holy. God, in His mercy, allows us to suffer or to go through certain trails, so that we may become saints and save souls while we do it!
Going forward, I will be posting ideas and inspirations for you to reflect on and unpack all the beautiful mercies in your own life. Let me know if there is something you have a question about or if you have any comments by writing in the comments section at the bottom of this post on www.songofmercy.blogspot.com. And don't forget to subscribe to have these posts go directly to your e-mail by entering in your e-mail address at the top of this page.
Together, we will sing of God's Mercies in our Lives!
Sometimes my worst day- one filled with pain and suffering- in the eyes of God, is my best day if I've born it cheerfully and I've born it with love. ~Mother Angelica
My heart is touched when you tell us about mercy and preach our faith. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! You made my day!!
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