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SW-User
Reminds me of Saint Therese of Lisieux writing in her autobiography, later entitled "The Story of a Soul":
I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace. I was astonished to see how He showered extraordinary favours on saints who had sinned against Him, saints such as St. Paul and St. Augustine. He forced them, as it were, to accept His graces. I was just as astonished when I read the lives of saints to see that Our Lord cherished certain favoured souls from the cradle to the grave and never allowed any kind of obstacle to check their flight towards Him. He bestowed such favours on them that they were unable to tarnish the spotless splendour of their baptismal robe. I also wondered why such vast numbers of poor savages died before they had even heard the name of God.
Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.
It is just the same in the world of souls--which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.
I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace. I was astonished to see how He showered extraordinary favours on saints who had sinned against Him, saints such as St. Paul and St. Augustine. He forced them, as it were, to accept His graces. I was just as astonished when I read the lives of saints to see that Our Lord cherished certain favoured souls from the cradle to the grave and never allowed any kind of obstacle to check their flight towards Him. He bestowed such favours on them that they were unable to tarnish the spotless splendour of their baptismal robe. I also wondered why such vast numbers of poor savages died before they had even heard the name of God.
Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.
It is just the same in the world of souls--which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.
karysma · 31-35, F
@SW-User If only it was easy to accept every detail about our lives including the challenges we face. I look at my life and when it doesn't match with the word of God my eyes start to wonder around looking for someone with a life that matches what God promised in his word. The minute I find them I start to wonder will I ever get to that point or will I only dream about that life till my last breath. I just can't help it.
SW-User
@karysma Well, yes, you need to keep in mind that the author of that long quotation I posted not only is a saint, but is considered by many to be the greatest saint of the 20th century. Not everyone has been gifted with the grace to see things in their proper places in the big picture like she was empowered to see.
However, when things don't seem to measure up to the way you think they should be, it's an opportunity to practice faith and trust in God. It's also an opportunity to choose to embrace the present moment and what it has to teach us. If we do so, God can sanctify us through our embracing the duty of the present moment.
I'm talking about stuff here that's difficult to accept. Of course it's easy for me to find excuses for why to not embrace what my current circumstances are trying to teach me. It's not easy to welcome hardship when it comes and it's even more difficult to thank God for it. However, that's the way we can get perfected and become saints.
However, when things don't seem to measure up to the way you think they should be, it's an opportunity to practice faith and trust in God. It's also an opportunity to choose to embrace the present moment and what it has to teach us. If we do so, God can sanctify us through our embracing the duty of the present moment.
I'm talking about stuff here that's difficult to accept. Of course it's easy for me to find excuses for why to not embrace what my current circumstances are trying to teach me. It's not easy to welcome hardship when it comes and it's even more difficult to thank God for it. However, that's the way we can get perfected and become saints.
Zeusdelight · 61-69, M
To know that, we would need to know the Mind of God. I'd be happy just knowing my mind.
Certainly, in my imperfections, I sometimes think that someone has been favoured by another more than I.
But I can never know what that person has been through or why the other person decided to provide them with things.
All I know is that jealousy is not a loving state and so I better steer clear of it.
Certainly, in my imperfections, I sometimes think that someone has been favoured by another more than I.
But I can never know what that person has been through or why the other person decided to provide them with things.
All I know is that jealousy is not a loving state and so I better steer clear of it.
midnightrose · F
Sometimes but then I remember that we are each on our own path to become the best version of ourselves, which means different experiences. We also make different choices and what matters in the end is how we handled what we were given. If you know you're on the right path then you can know that in the end it will turn out alright. God doesn't look at how much you have he looks at your heart and whether or not you exhibit faith in Him. If you have that faith, you can be sure that He has you in mind.
Of course, sometimes it is easier said than done, especially in the moment.
Of course, sometimes it is easier said than done, especially in the moment.
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Tastyfrzz · 61-69, M
For me, Santa God doesn't exist.
The creator of the universe and life unfortunately is pretty indifferent to our personal wants and desires. It's engrained in our brains to want to be neurotic or psychotic about it. The fear of the unknown leads us to the God of the Gaps so as the universe becomes more understood, God gets a bit smaller and dimmer. Faith, prayer, and three bucks might get you a latte. The entire concept of God and religion in my mind must be scrapped and redone. I think that goodness and empathy do not require a belief in a vengeful God or books of ancient scrawlings assembled by groups of men with hidden agendas.
I think that we are beyond that.
The creator of the universe and life unfortunately is pretty indifferent to our personal wants and desires. It's engrained in our brains to want to be neurotic or psychotic about it. The fear of the unknown leads us to the God of the Gaps so as the universe becomes more understood, God gets a bit smaller and dimmer. Faith, prayer, and three bucks might get you a latte. The entire concept of God and religion in my mind must be scrapped and redone. I think that goodness and empathy do not require a belief in a vengeful God or books of ancient scrawlings assembled by groups of men with hidden agendas.
I think that we are beyond that.
karysma · 31-35, F
@Tastyfrzz I don't know about a hidden agenda but I do know that the supernatural experience I had wasn't a figment of my imagination. For months I heard someone calling my name over and over again while I was busy planning my suicide. Don't say I have a mental illness because I don't. I'm as sane as they come.
Pfuzylogic · M
Fluffybull · F
SW-User
Of course not, how could anyone even determine that. It's just imagination.
No, I don't. God gave us equal net value.
Tres13 · 51-55, M
[media=https://youtu.be/lZGH0cF95wM]
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karysma · 31-35, F
@SpiritualMan I agree this is really complicated 😅
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SW-User
@msros It's not like Jesus didn't address this issue. In fact, He capitalized on it as an opportunity to teach us how we're supposed to strive to meet a higher standard ourselves:
You have heard how it was said: You will love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike.
Matthew 5:43-45
You have heard how it was said: You will love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike.
Matthew 5:43-45