We often hear that we are “CHOSEN,” BUT how many times do we truly, wholeheartedly believe this? Have I ever truly completely believed in this? Although it hasn’t even been 3 weeks yet, I can honestly say that it keeps feeling like the banquet never ends. It is as if God has so intricately placed me at His table, and all He’s been feeding me is an eternal-course PRIX FIXE MENU (a menu where the dishes are already set with a specific number of courses) of Love. From Hors D’Oeuvres, to Entrees, to Desserts, and palette-cleansing dishes, I’ve been called to go back to the basics of the basics of service, explore new crevices, re-ignite old talents, and try the new “dishes” I never thought could exist in my life (i.e. learning completely new languages, taking bus rides while being unable to read the destination or understand the announcements in the automated system on the bus, etc). It’s been hard. And we even joke around about how this feels like it’s our FTPW Training! But one thing’s for sure (that I know as a chef)…
One would never invite another to a banquet, without providing the utensils needed to dine in what has been prepared.
Despite all the events, I know that in the basics, He has already provided me with all I need to finish the course He has set before me. I realized that in mission and in any service, we must always allow ourselves to go back to basics… the heart of service – serving God. There will be times where we will have no acknowledgement whatsoever from those we serve and/or those we serve with, but a true SERVANT HEART will bear it with joy, knowing whole-heartedly that above all, it is taken to heart by the Lord, and that is more than enough.
In bearing all this with joy, a SERVANT learns the intimate and life-giving love of a watchful Father and approaches service with loving, spiritual sensitivity.
In patience, selflessness, kindness, meekness, gentleness and without any self boast, a TRUE SERVANT OF GOD exudes Christ in his/ her life – Love.
The “basics” of our journey in our faith are like the salt and pepper in a dish. Oftentimes overlooked, our experiences today would be TASTELESS and FLAVOURLESS without the basics. And sometimes, when we begin to over-think and over-complicate, God reminds us that we have always been seated at the banquet and the things set at the banquet would be nothing without the salt and pepper. The basics are the little things God uses to set the foundations of the “flavours” in our journey – the banquet is already set. We just need to relax, have presence, give thanks and dine with our Father.
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Lord, may You continue to bring us back to the basics. May you continuously mold us in Your perfect love. Whether it be by surprise or in the things that are in already in existence and so carefully playing out in our lives, may You always be our guide in our journey of continuous conversion and discernment so we may be greater images of Your love each and every day. May we be open and have trust that our life is already “Prix Fixe” – all set by You, our Perfect Creator.
Amen.