I stared out from the balcony of the place that I was staying at in Batangas, Philippines, searching the sky for stars. I searched deeper and waited, expecting that since we were out in the province in Philippines, I would be able to see a full sky of stars. To my disappointment, I could see none. So I decided to stare out and further into the night sky. At first, I couldn’t see anything, but as a waited longer, I began to see a tree at a distance. Then the image began to expand and I was beginning to see the other trees surrounding it. And as I waited longer, I caught sight of a lightning flash, which then outlined the silhouette of the treeline surrounding me. It was as if Someone had been painting a masterpiece on a special kind of canvas. I admired this for quite some time and then left to go swimming in an outdoor pool with my cousins. As I laid afloat on my back, staring into the night sky, little by little, the stars began to reveal themselves. Then, I realized that at that moment, I had found what I had been searching for – to simply see the sky full of stars. It just didn’t happen when I expected it to.
Our faith journeys are often like this. We search and pray for something specific, only to find ourselves feeling like we’ve received a different answer or result from what we had expected. Yet, who are we to say that what we receive isn’t the perfect answer? Or who are we to believe so strongly that the answer must come now? In the same way I searched for the stars, standing with such conviction that I would 100% see them because of where I was, there are times where the setting of things in our lives will lead us to stand too confidently that the result will be a certain way. But in the same way I was proven wrong, we will also be proven wrong in those moments. However, it is not to say that what we expected or sought after is ‘wrong’; it might simply mean that there is something better.
If I gave up and walked back inside after not seeing the stars, would I have seen the way the trees drew out in the dark? Would I have been able to see the rare silhouette of the surrounding tree lines? I had to be patient in waiting, and quick to catch the glimpse of light in a specific moment. This is the same attitude we are called to carry in faith… Despite of the unexpected answers or ‘disappointing’ moments, we must never let our guard down and always be attentive to the glimpses of light His Spirit reveals to see the greater beauty of the things He has already set before us. We must be brave to be strong in the way of the Lord and not of the human heart alone.
“At this also my heart trembles,
and leaps out of its place.
Hearken to the thunder of his voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
After it his voice roars;
he thunders with his majestic voice
and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.
God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things which we cannot comprehend.”
(Job 37: 1-5)
Some things just aren’t meant to be understood. Some things are only meant to be for the Lord to know, alone. And there are some things, like that stars I searched for, that may be beautiful and good and will be revealed by Him in our lives… in His time. So in the meantime, we must find beauty in what is there. We must find beauty and rejoice in the wonders that God has already placed in our lives. Who knows, the answer might be something we have already been looking at or something we have had from the very beginning. What I do know is that everything has already been placed by God in this world. What we await is the moment He chooses to reveal them to us, and we can never see it unless we keep an open heart and an open ear to His voice… His leading.
So in this, I have one prayer…
Lord, may we be blessed always, by Your grace to be brave to open our hearts to what is already good and already beautiful in our lives. May we be generous in love with one another to never take what and who we have in our lives for granted. For all we know, while we ask and seek for ‘greater’ things, what we already have is an answered prayer. Regardless, may we always be grateful and thankful for all the small and grand things You have given us for as far as we know, what we may already have is something others are seeking. So I pray that we will be able to always wait patiently and to also wait with gratefulness and see that we are always blessed, right where we are.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Amen.