For the past week, I’ve been met by an abundance of grace. An overwhelming feeling of joy, comfort and affirmation that time and time again, I am being taken care of. However, what I’ve also realized was the limitations of me taking care of others.
In a conversation with my parents, regarding the uncertain future of my career, vocation and calling, having resources was always the key. Having the money to support my future family. Having the successful and stable job to provide consistently. Having the required education to attain those jobs. Those were the measuring devices of my future, if I was ready or not. How can you provide for your future family? What happens if so or so happens? How can you be sure that this is what you want? Those were the questions of my future’s validity. And in response, I could not give a firm answer except that in surrendering all of these and more to God, He will in turn take care of me. Now don’t get me wrong, these are all logical questions that we should ask ourselves. But one thing I’ve realized is that it is not about what lies ahead, rather, it’s about what is here and now. And I remember I would tell my parents, I may not have the resources, the money to provide everything all the time, but I do know one thing, that the best thing I can do and provide is to take care of others.
However, pondering on this more and more, I’ve come to understand that I can’t solve everyone’s problems. At first, I thought of this as a call out of me not being worthy of the calling, but now I see it as an opportunity of grace.
The fault of the human mind is its very own strength, to know things. How often do I try making sense of my life or of someone else’s life, to the point that I am trying to be like God? That in brainstorming of what to say, I frantically measure pros and cons of potential answers before locking in on the best response to the problem in the hopes that it would solve everything. But God is God, and I am not. At the end of it all, I do not have the answers that people are looking for. And with the amount of problems going on around me whether it’s people’s personal problems, or interpersonal problems, there is simply too many for me to help every single one of them. What I forget is that, sometimes the greatest help anyone can have is someone to intercede, to pray for them. The power of God is far greater than anything in this world, and one that surpasses our understanding. God’s answers will reveal themselves in the right time, all we can do is have courage in the Lord.
In The Interior Castle of the Mansions, St. Teresa of Avila wrote with the intention that it would help the sisters of Carmelite convents and she stated that if this benefitted anyone else would be the Lord simply doing her a great favour. Like St. Teresa of Avila, whenever something exceeds our expectations, we cannot attribute that to human accomplishment but to God’s grace alone.
Therefore, we cannot be disheartened when we cannot help or be of help, but instead entrust it all to the Lord and allow the Lord to be present in these things. Let us not forget to pray. Let us not forget to allow God in every corner of our lives. The beauty of prayer is not in the words we say, but in the simple act of surrendering oneself to God’s will.
Quick shout outs to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, St. Raphael and all the saints for always interceding for me.
Lord, allow me to always pray and look to You in everything I can or cannot do.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us.
St. Raphael, pray for us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.
All the angels and saints, pray for us.
AMDG.
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