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Through the Hands of God
“O Lord, it is so sweet to serve You in the darkness and in the midst of trial, for we have only this life in which to live by faith.” Bl. M. Therese Soubiran
God always acts with purpose. It is vitally important for us to remember this in all the circumstances of our lives. Lately I have been reading and reflecting on the concept that everything that happens to us in our lives has passed through the hands of God. God doesn’t bring evil upon us. Evil happens because of sin in the world and that sin is what causes us pain through our own fault or the fault of others. God permits us to suffer through that pain, which provides us the opportunity to grow in virtue and sanctity. This is how we practice and grow in faith. Every moment and event that passes through the Father’s hands are for our benefit. We need to have the faith to see God’s hand at work and to surrender to Him our expectations and hopes for our lives, even in the darkest of moments.
“Lord what are you trying to teach me now” should be our response, but truthfully I find this very difficult to do. Recently I planned a family vacation with all the arrival details squared away with every member of the family who was attending. The chaos started a week out from the event. Problem upon problem occurred to the point that after about ten days of the chaos I found myself saying to my friend “I know this is an opportunity to grow in virtue but ……”, followed by a not-so-holy ending to that sentence. Failed. I had failed again to grow in the virtues of patience and trust that God was trying to teach me. I have a long way to go.
A vacation plan is minor so what about those major battles in your life? I have recently had the privilege of helping a dear loved one through one of the most difficult trials of her life. She has remained faithful. She has grown in virtue and sanctity. She sees His hand at work in her life. Her faith has grown. She is stronger and holier. She is being purified in the fire. I have assured her that God is already waiting for her in the future that He has planned for her, and that it is a future of joy and purpose. I have discussed with her how she will be able to help many others because she is allowing the sculptor to fashion a new creation in her. God has a specific purpose for her and through this tragedy He is fashioning a woman who is destined to help others.
May we all be patient with ourselves as we grow in faith, virtue, and sanctity. When we fail, we ask God to forgive us and then we move forward with the lessons we have learned trying hard not to fall into the same trap again. Much like St. Paul we all know the good we want to do but sometimes the weakness of our humanity gets in the way. God loves our intentions to grow. He is patient and kind. We need to be as well, with ourselves and others.
Karen Baglieri
Member of Sisterhood of Mary Mystical Rose of God
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Karen, this is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
Karen, your beautiful reflection hits home for me on so many levels. You have written well about the difficulties, trials and heartaches we experience in this life. I have deeply learned that God is not predictable as we suffer but he is ever present, ever patient, ever loving and merciful in all his ways as we grow in this life to where we truly can know, say and share the gift of unshakable faith in our divine creator. He loves us infinitely and wants us home to heaven some day where we will experience the most ineffable divine infinite embrace of love. We are called to build up each other’s faith through our own sufferings, we are sisters and daughters of God. Thank you.