Be Ready

 

   “Pray to be ever ready for God’s will even when it takes you by surprise.” (Saint Mary Mackillop) 

   God’s time is not our time.  We look to the clock and the calendar for when things should occur or when we expect or want them to occur.  God knew from before the earth was formed exactly what time each event in our life will happen.

   This means that there will always be times when the will of God will come at a time least expected.  We may think all is settled in our life and then something occurs that totally revises everything we thought was settled.  I sometimes think God enjoys surprising us with His will.

   How we react to these surprises goes a long way to define the depth of our faith and trust in God.  When we say, “OK Father, your will be done,” we show how much we trust.  When our response is less accepting we indicate how little we trust.

   If we are faithful, if we genuinely love and trust God, we will accept His will in all things.  Sometimes that will be relatively easy to do and at other times it can challenge our faith and trust.  It is then that we must always remember that whatever God chooses for us is always going to be what is best.  Our wishes and desires are so corrupted by the evil in the world that we often think of something as good when, in fact, it is a stepping stone to serious sin.

   Another thing I have discovered recently is that these surprise blessings of God are not confined to any particular stage in our life.  They may come in youth, middle age, and even when we are older and think nothing more can change.  And sometimes those late in life surprises are the best of all.

   So never think that God is through with you as long as you live.  He will continue to surprise you with His will and with His blessings no matter what your age or station in life.