Through the Eyes of a Child

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
- Ephesians 5:8

We are all children of God. But we don't usually think of ourselves as actual children. We see ourselves as adult children, but that's not how we are called to live. We are called to live as children, little children, kids.

Children are innocent, trusting, honest. If you tell a child that something is true, they believe you. They love with a passion. They're curious, always asking questions, always wanting to know more. They put their whole self into everything they do. They find joy in the little things. And at night they sleep peacefully, knowing they are loved and protected, looking forward to the next day.

We can live like this too. Believe what Jesus tells you. Love Him with a passion. Stay curious, ask questions about your faith, keep growing. Put maximum effort into everything you do for the Lord. Find joy in the little everyday things. And at night sleep peacefully knowing you are loved and protected.

Pay attention to the children in your life. Watch what they do, how they act, and see what you can learn from them. How can you apply their attitude to your own life today?

Happy Re-birth Day

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
- Psalm 23:1

Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known of all the psalms. Although quite short, it is filled with beautiful images and promises. And it has special meaning to me today. Nine years ago today, I gave my life to Jesus, and was born again of spirit and water with my baptism into the Catholic Church.

It was the culmination of a two-year journey to find the truth. I had many doubts, many questions, many fears along the way. But by the time I stepped up to the font, I was at peace. I knew, as the psalmist did, that Jesus was my shepherd, my teacher, my guide, my protector, my savior. And I knew that once I gave my life to Him there would be nothing else I needed, nothing to fear. I knew He would always be there for me, ready to give me everything I could need.

And so He has. Since that day He has given me a husband, children, friends, food and shelter. He has got me through some tough times, and has filled my life with joy and blessings. I remember the night of my baptism well. I treasure it. Sometimes I wish I could go back and relive it. Then I see how far I've come spiritually since then, and I am excited about how much further I can go. I wonder where I will be nine years from now...

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Do You See What I See?

The LORD said to Samuel: "Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart."
- 1 Samuel 16:7

This is the scene where Jesse is presenting his sons to Samuel so God can choose one to be the next king. Samuel sees the eldest son and assumes God will choose him because he looks and acts the part. But God pays no attention to appearances, positions or social standings. God looks into our hearts, and judges by what He sees in there. He chose David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, the lowly shepherd boy, to be the king.

How often do we judge people by their appearance? I am guilty of this frequently. We assume that someone who is well-dressed and appears to be in control must have a great life. But someone in older, worn out clothes who looks disheveled must be struggling, or doesn't care how they look. Often, if we get to know these people we discover the opposite is true.

If only we could see people as God sees them. If only we could see past the outward appearances and look into their hearts instead. In fact, that's not so hard to do. If we can take the time to get to know someone, talk to them, listen to them, we will start to discover who they really are. We can get to know their hearts, and start to see them as God sees them.

We should remember that God sees us in the same way. He doesn't see how we look, how we dress, and He doesn't care what our position is at work or whether we're in the cool mom clique. He only sees what's in our hearts, how we feel, how we care, how we love. Make sure your heart is beautiful, and seek to see the beauty in others' hearts regardless of what your eyes see.

Role Models

The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?"
- John 4:28-29

The Gospel reading of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well that we will hear this Sunday has two important messages for us. First, we learn from Jesus how we are to treat other people. In His time, men did not speak to women they did not know, especially if they were alone. Plus, she was a Samaritan woman, and the Samaritans were hated by the Jews (and most everyone else). On top of all that, she was a sinner. We are told she was gathering her water in the middle of the day - most people would be inside taking a siesta during the hottest part of the day. This tells us that either she did not want to see anyone else, or that she was not welcome among them, both signs that she was a sinner, an outcast. Jesus confirms this when He comments that she has had five husbands, and the man she is with now is not her husband.

Despite all this, Jesus breaks all the taboos and speaks to her, even preaches to her, giving her the good news of His living water. He shows us that we should not be afraid to break down barriers and transcend social boundaries to reach out to the people who need to hear God's message.

We can also learn a lot from the woman herself. In fact, she's quite a role model for us. That might seem a little surprising given what we've just learned about her. But despite her failings, she also had many good qualities. First, she had an open mind. When Jesus was talking to her, she stopped what she was doing and listened. She asked questions. And she accepted the answers. She considered all that Jesus told her, and believed Him. We should do this too. When Jesus speaks to us, we should stop and listen. And we should ask Him questions. It's okay to question our faith, that's how we grow, but we must be prepared to listen to the answers God gives us, and if we feel in our heart that these answers are the truth, we must accept them.

The woman's next action is also a great example for us. She left her water jar and ran back to the town to tell everyone about her encounter with Jesus. Remember, she was shunned by her community, an outcast. But she didn't let that stop her. She was so excited about what she had learned that she overcame any fear or discomfort she might have felt and started spreading the news. And she must have been very persuasive, as the rest of the town immediately went out to see Jesus for themselves. Many believed simply because of what she told them, and many more were converted after spending a couple of days with Jesus. This woman, this one sinful woman, led to the conversion of almost a whole Samaritan town.

The message for us here is clear. We should be willing to proclaim our faith to anyone who will listen. We need to put aside fear of ridicule, and trust that our testimony will be accepted. If we choose the right words (with the help of the Holy Spirit) and let our excitement lead us, people will listen. We aren't called to convert entire towns, not even entire families. But maybe a neighbor. A colleague. Another mom at school. Look for opportunities, God will always give them to you. Then the next step is up to you. Leave your water jar, cross that boundary, and speak.

You, Me and Them

But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
- Romans 5:8

We all know that Jesus died for our sins. He died for my sins, He died for your sins. But what about everyone else? How far did it go? What about a dishonest store owner? What about a thief or a kidnapper? How about a child molester or a murderer? Saddam Hussein? Hitler?

Yes. Jesus died for all these people. He died to save all sinners. There is no sliding scale for sin in His eyes. All sin offends God. And all sin is wiped out by The Cross. More than that - all sins are forgiven by God. He loves us so much that He will not allow any barrier to stand between us and Him. From the silliest slip, to the worst crime you can think of, all is forgiven by God if we repent.

Earlier in this same chapter, Paul talks about how it is not so hard to die for someone you love. But to die for someone who has hurt you? Or someone who has hurt hundreds of thousands of people? We probably couldn't do it. But Jesus did. Because He loves all of God's creations, and wanted to bring us all back to Him. His death and resurrection took our sin, buried it, and created a bridge back to the Father. To find that bridge, all we have to do, all any sinner has to do, is repent. Ask for God's forgiveness, and He will show you the way home.

Sing Like No One is Listening

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sign psalms to him.
- Psalm 95:1-2

I love to sing. No, I'm not in the choir, and I'm not a particularly good singer. I don't even really like anybody else to hear me singing. But I love music, and I love songs about Jesus, about much He loves us, and how much I love Him. Songs like that really move me, and I can't help but sing along, whether it's a Christian rock song on the radio, or a hymn at mass.

Do you join in the singing at mass? Why do we sing anyway? Singing as a form of worship is a tradition that goes deep into the past. The psalms are songs that were written and sung many hundreds of years before Jesus came to Earth. After His death and resurrection, the disciples continued to include the singing of psalms in their worship services. They probably even sung them at the last supper, which is the model for our modern mass.

St. Augustine said that song is the language of love, and that when we sing we pray twice. Think about all the songs you hear on the radio, or have in your collection. How many of them are about love? 90%? A romantic dinner wouldn't be complete without music. A wedding wouldn't be as joyful without singing. And what kind of party doesn't have a good soundtrack to create the right mood? The mass is all of these things: a romantic dinner, a wedding, a celebration. Music and singing help create an atmosphere where we can let our love flow during our worship.

Sometimes I can't always find the right words to express how I feel. But I can always find a song that does it perfectly. And often that song will find me just when I need it, either on the radio, on my iPod, or during mass. Music moves me, and the right combination of music and words can lift my heart and bring tears to my eyes.

God gave the gift of music to the musicians and cantors and choirs who join us each week. He didn't give that gift to all of us, but that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how bad your singing voice is. Lift it up in song and prayer anyway. To God it sounds as sweet as the angels.

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Check out some of these songs which have really touched me:

Josh Wilson - Before The Morning
Mark Schultz - Back in His Arms Again
tobyMac - City on our Knees
Chris August - Starry Night
Rebecca St James - I Thank You
newsboys - I Am Free
Tenth Avenue North - You Are More
MercyMe - I Can Only Imagine

Also check out K-Love radio - 107.3 in the Pleasanton area.

Look Under the Rock

The LORD said to Moses, "I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink." This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
- Exodus 17:6

The Israelites had escaped from Egypt, and had begun their 40-year journey through the desert. As soon as they ran out of water they began to complain. But God provided for them by producing water from a rock that had been struck by Moses' staff. Did the water just miraculously spring from the rock? Or did Moses uncover an existing underground water source by breaking the rock? The answer doesn't matter. The point here is that when His people had a need, God provided for them.

I tend to believe that it was an existing but hidden underground water source that God led Moses to. Why? God knew that the Israelites were thirsty and had run out of water. But He took no action until Moses asked for His help. This makes me wonder if they could have found the water on their own, if only they had bothered to look. If, instead of moaning and complaining to Moses as soon as things got a little tough, if they had used some common sense and ingenuity, they might have discovered the underground spring.

Maybe God works like this in our lives too. He knows what we need. But sometimes He waits for us to ask. And sometimes He doesn't immediately answer, because He knows that if we just try a little harder, we can solve the problem ourselves.

So the next time you feel that God isn't answering your prayer, stop and take a look around. Think it through again. Is there an answer to your problem that you haven't considered? Try and look at things from a different angle. Dig a little, and maybe a solution will uncover itself. And have faith that God will eventually give you what need, one way or another.