Monthly Meditations

God’s Guidance On My Journey Of Life

Wherever I may be, or whatever I may be doing, I am on a journey. A journey that will be filled excitement, sadness, joy, frustration, occasionally anger, sometimes fear, health, illness, happiness and always great hope and peace that can only come from knowing that God is willing to guide my journey and be my support and strength.

I just need to remember to invite him in and to take the time to listen to him and for him. So often he is present to us in those around us and always in a quiet place within each of us. As life moves at its frantic pace it’s a real challenge to slow down enough to listen for his guidance. All too often I start the day with a quick prayer which is usually my asking for something and, on a good day, remembering to thank him for all the goodness he has created in my life. Then I get on with the many tasks of the day rarely taking the time to just sit quietly listening for him.

Even when I do take the time to listen, I may not feel his presence and then I get anxious or, to be honest, bored, and move on to the things that need doing.

So what’s the answer to receiving God’s guidance? I don’t have one for everyone as we are each on our own unique journey, but I do know that when I discipline myself to take the time for prayer and to offer thanksgiving, share my worries, ask for help or direction, and just to be quiet trusting in his presence with me, I approach my day with greater peace and confidence.

This discipline includes seeing prayer as a “must” part of my daily life. Just as I “must” do things before I leave my home, I “must’ have this time with God. The time of day is not important, making prayer an essential of the day is.

A Renewal

The cycle of the seasons has always touched the human heart. This cycle is, perhaps, most dramatic in geographic regions like the Midwest, where the winter and summer swing from icy darkness to burning light and back again. For many people in this area, the transitional seasons of spring and autumn are favorites. Like Goldilocks’ perfect porridge, these times of year are neither “too hot, nor too cold, but just right”. Yet, there is also a frequently expressed belief that it is precisely the extremes of weather characteristic of winter and summer that make the gentler seasons of spring and autumn such a joy.

Spring in the midwest usually comes after months of cold, dreary weather, and is welcomed, not so much as an old friend returning, but as a wondrous surprise, a gift never experienced before. Though we certainly know that spring follows winter with a regularity that never fails, each year the first tulips, the songs of robins and cardinals, and the blooming trees find us overcome by joy at this renewal of life.

And so it can be with the cold, dark times of illness or loss in our lives. Much as it may seem that these dreary days are endless, the reality is that such times are not forever. If we allow God’s grace to work in us, at some point we will find that our spirits have been soothed, and new life has come into our souls, bringing with it a rebirth of happiness and hope.

As we rejoice in the signs of spring we see all around us during the month of April, so we find the courage to believe that fear and loss are part of a cycle that also includes gifts and grace. May we always find joy in the return of spring and the renewal of hope in our hearts.