Faith Will Come

You say you have no faith?
Love - and faith will come.
You say you are sad?
Love - and joy will come.
You say you are alone?
Love - and you will break out of your solitude.
You say you are in hell?
Love - and you will find yourself in heaven.

Carlo Carretto

I love this poem!  It is so short and simple, but oh so absolutely true.  Not long ago I wrote about being in a season of winter in my life.  We all have many, many cycles like this throughout our lives in which we grow and spring forth with new life and then there are those seasons where we draw into ourselves and hibernate for a little while.  All are necessary and healthy.

But, whether you're in a season of spring or a season of winter, love will see you through.  What better way to find a way through sadness than to reach out to someone in need?  The joy you receive from that little act will fill you to overflowing for a long time to come.

When you are feeling alone, find someone in your near vicinity to love and immediately you're no longer alone! 

When you find faith waning, love someone and, surprisingly, faith will appear!

Love is always in our hearts, ready to be given away.  It is up to us to find it and use it or to let it shrink into such a small place that it becomes difficult to find.  It seems to be paradoxical, doesn't it?  The more you give away, the more you get back. 

Amazing!

 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

Matthew 9:22

The Bridge You Burn Now May Be the One You Later Have to Cross



In Learning to Forgive, Doris Donnelly writes, "some years ago I met a family very proficient in the use of scissors...the friends of each family member were under constant scrutiny to determine whether they measured up to the standards imposed by mother and father.  One slip...resulted in ostracism from the narrow circle of 'friends.'  ...Anyone who did not respond immediately with profuse gratitude was eliminated from the list for the next time.  Snip.

"Eventually I, too, was scissored out of their lives.  I never knew for sure why, but I knew enough to recognize that once I was snipped away there was no hope of my being sewn into their lives again."

"Last year the mother of the family died. The father and daughters, expecting large crowds to gather to say their final farewells, enlisted the assistance of the local police to handle traffic...Telegrams were sent...phone calls were made...local motels were alerted...yet in the end, only the husband, the daughters, their husband, and grandchild or two attended the services."

Cutting imperfect people out of our lives is a prescription for loneliness.  Who would remain to be our friends?  Is there anyone you could sew back into your pattern?  Why not give them a call?

If it be possible , as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Romans 12:18