By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
There seems to be a heaviness in the air. Can you feel it?
One would have to be very thick skinned to not be impacted by change. It is inevitable in life. Life itself has its built-in progression of change. Growth comes from change and even growing physically is painful. From your first tooth coming out to when your body starts to decline. All of it is change. And then you look at life’s circumstances that carry so many unknowns. From one day to the next, what can you count on? Living in California, land of earthquakes, and to literally have the floor beneath your feet shifting is very sobering. It is a reminder that even the seemingly solid floor we stand on can shift. Also, look at the world around us. It’s changing by the minute.
Am I stressing you out? I’m stressing myself out! Thinking like this can be heavy, stressful. But one needs to follow this thought full circle.
Yes, life is seemingly made up of a lot of changes and unknowns. Which brings us to the question…What is constant in life? Who is the constant in your life? Even with those who love us here on earth…how they interact with us might change depending on how they are feeling and what they themselves are going through. Change…and more change.
When this kind of uncertainty is floating all around us, of course there will be a heaviness in the air. It’s almost as if you’re waiting for the house of cards to fall. Is this how the good Lord meant for us to live? I don’t think so. In fact, I know it isn’t so.
The people who inspire me deeply are those who seem to forge ahead. Not with blinders on but with eyes, ears, and hearts wide open. They see what we often miss. That God Whom you cannot tangibly see is able to be seen in every moment. You can touch Him. You can talk with Him. You can listen to Him. To be so surrounded and guided by a loving Presence, and experiencing the peace that He alone can give, trusting in Him in all things, this is what stabilizes, grounds, and moves us forward in faith.
We can do absolutely nothing by ourselves. We sure try. But truly, we can’t. Who we are, the gifts we have, is pure gift. And in turning ourselves over to the Lord, in turning to face Him and in seeing the loving gaze of One Who deeply loves us, this is what carries us into every day with a true spirit of joy and acceptance. It creates lightness in the air that penetrates the heavy fog that wants to dampen our spirits and the space around us.
So, Who is the constant in your life? Well, have faith, dear friends, in God’s faithfulness. He is faithful. He has been faithful. He will always be faithful. He is constant. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
