Peace of Mind and Heart

How many times have you read the above quote before?  "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Phil 4:6-7.  As many times as you have read it, have you ever paused over the word "all"?  St. Paul is telling us that we need to thank God for everything in our lives and then we will have peace of mind and heart.

Do you know what this means?  God desires us to be thankful for the good and, just as equally, the bad in our life.  Now, you may say, "How can I be thankful for something that I do not want or never asked for?"  This is very hard to wrap our heads around.  How can things that seem to be unfair and hurtful, especially when it comes to sickness, loss of a family member or financial insecurity- actually be something that we should and need to thank God for?

This is where the secret lies of many of the great saints before us.  How is it that we hear so many horrendous stories of martyrs on their way to their death be filled with joy and peace?  This seems so backwards doesn't it.  Well, it is backwards in the eyes of the world, but God asks us to see with the eyes of our faith.

When we face trials in our lives, which everyone in every walk of life does, we are given the opportunity to become holy- to become saints!  When we are asked to trust blindly in God, we need not worry what the outcome will be-  because God allows all things to work for the good, for those who love the Lord.

Do not let yourself be troubled by each problem in your life, but rather take a moment to look at it with the eyes of faith.  Even if we cannot understand now, what the good is in each situation we find ourselves, we must trust that God does see.  He does see all the good that will come from each trial you face.  And not only will there be good that will come from these trials, but a greater good than if they had never happened.

Take a moment to think of what in your life you would like to change.  What situation or person causes you the most pain in your life?  Here is precisely the spot where God is at work, transforming you into a great saint!

When put in this light, can we not say "Thank you" to God, for in His Mercy, He has allowed us to suffer this trial so that one day we can be with Him for all eternity, in the place He has prepared for us, most especially because of this trial.