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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 [i][c=4C0073]will I ever get to that point or will I only dream about that life till my last breath.[/c][/i] 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.