Author: Debra Weldon

My people, I long to free you from suffering and pain. I long to show you your misconceptions about me, and to help you to better understand my plan of salvation; my plan for your life.  I need you to see how much of your pain and suffering is tied to your misconceptions about me. 

I long to show you how deeply I love you.  I long for you to be joined to me, and to share my divinity with you; for you to be one with me. If only I could open your eyes more fully to my wisdom.

I have shown you the way through the example of the people in the Old Testament.  Their flaws are your flaws (or at least metaphors for your flaws). I long to protect you, but my way of protecting. I know my way doesn’t always meet your expectations of how a God should behave. I know this can be confusing for you, but trust that I know what is best for you.  You will experience bad times, but you will also enjoy good times. Both the good and the bad teach you and reform you in my sinless image. Remember that my image is of service, persecution, crucifixion, and love.  Many people heard my word, and walked away. Do not do the same.  Trust in me.  I have your eternal best interests at heart.  

Come to me. I know you thirst. I know you long for greater meaning in life. I am here. I long to show you how much I love you. I want you to receive the love of one who knows you, including all the skeletons in your closet.  I still love you, but I long for you to transcend this plane; to live life to the fullest in the good times and in the bad.   

I am the way, the truth, and the life.  Let me be your muse, your inspiration, and your strength.  We can do great things together if you let me in a little more each day.  

Be open to me today. Hear the words of love I speak to you.  Open yourself to my guiding hand. Trust in me. 

In Him,

dw

Being a Christian is about knowing that, as a result of sin, we do not live the life God intended us to live.  It is about an ever deepening understanding of our sinful nature, how it negatively impacts not only our relationship with God, but also our ability to live a full life. It is about an on-going conversion experience where we work with God to shed our old selves and to become new in Christ. It is about realizing that God created us to live a life of trusting in Him; of walking in his Spirit. It is about us cooperating with the Holy Spirit within us for the conversion of souls and the good of all mankind.  It is about loving God and neighbor, and more importantly, letting God love others through our cooperation with the Spirit.  

It is about realizing we are all like the Apostles before Pentecost – not fully understanding the Gospel message, but slowly letting it sink in as our sinful nature is shed a little at a time because this is what allows us to be more open to God’s truth. 

It is about helping others, even if it means forgoing the fancy car, the new outfit, and/or the cup of Starbucks.  It is about remaining charitable, even if people take advantage of our generosity.  

It is about being unconditionally loved by a God who accepts us where we are, and longs for us to go ever deeper in communion with him.  Most importantly, it is about living in the joy of being in union with the God of the universe. 

I pray we all find ways to continuously go deeper in our faith walk, and to learn to be generous and loving despite all circumstances. I pray that each one of us experiences the love of God each and every day, and that these experiences show us how to live more and more like Christ. 

In Him,

dw

Mary, Mother of God

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.  I am not well versed enough to talk with any authority on the Church’s teachings on the assumption. Maybe that is something I can tackle over the course of the next year.  I do feel like I can talk about a Catholic’s understanding of Mary, and maybe clear up some of the misconceptions. 

Misconception #1 – Catholics worship Mary.  

Catholics do not worship Mary, per se.  They view her as the new Eve, and as the best of all of us.  One has only to review the spectacular construction requirements for the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant to understand how holy the New Testament Ark of the Covenant must be.  Why would one compare Mary to the Ark?  The Ark contained the word of God (10 Commandments), Aaron’s priestly staff, and manna.  Jesus is the word of God, the high priest, and the bread of angels.   In other words, Catholics respect Mary as the ideal person we are all called to be, and will fully become in the next life. We place her on a pedestal, but still acknowledge her as human. She deserves our deep admiration, and not our worship.  May she forever be the example that leads us all to be handmaids of the Lord!

Misconception #2 – Catholics pray to Mary.  

This is true, but it can be taken out of context.  As a Christian, we believe that Christians who die are now in Heaven.  They are still a part of the Body of Christ, and are thus available to perform intercessory prayer. So, as one might ask their friend to pray for them, one might also ask those who are in Heaven to pray for them.  In fact, the Hail Mary Prayer is part scriptural and part intercessory. 

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. (Luke 1:28. Note: “favor,” the usual Biblical translation, is tied to the Greek word for grace).  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (Luke 1:42) Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Unfortunately, there is not a word for talking to people on the other side, except through the use of the word pray.  

Another point to remember is that in Luke 1:48, Mary prophesied that all generations would call her blessed. So, in some respects, Catholics view their admiration of Mary as carrying out this prophesy.  

This morning, I pray that Mary take each of us by hand, and lead us to a deeper understanding of her son, for who knows a person better than that person’s mother.

In Him,

dw

While the Bible does not specifically address this (to my recollection), it seems implicit that if we are to love God with all our might, and our neighbor as ourselves, then we must love ourselves. Otherwise, we have set a low bar for loving neighbor.  

Do I love myself? Do you love you?  I think the question is yes and no.  Yes in regards to the things we like about ourselves, and no as to the things we do not like about ourselves.  We are all sinners, and we do not like this about ourselves. We do not like it when we fall into sin.  Sometimes, we are not even willing to admit that we are sinners, and we suppress the quiet voice of God who is asking us to work with him to address these sins.  

The truth is – ours is a God who knew every sin that we would ever commit before the world was made.  He loved us enough to bring us into existence despite this knowledge of our sinful ways.  He loved us enough to send his son into the world to die for our sins.  Yes, we are still sinners, but we have been forgiven.  

Because of God’s love for us, we can stand in truth without collapsing under the weight of our sins. We can see ourselves for who we really are without an overwhelming sense of shame, but only if we balance this truth with an awareness of his unconditional love for us.  

Let us spend some time today pondering God’s love and mercy. Let us invite him into our dark places where our true self resides.  Let us pray to him to shed light, and to lead us to a place where we are not so tied to sin.  

In Him, 

dw

This has always been an intriguing dispute to me.  I’ll admit there was a time in history where doctrine seemed to be interpreted as one having to earn salvation through works; however, the truth is that the two are inseparable.  

The Christian life is about becoming new in Christ.  Christ performs works, and through my submission to him as the ruler of my life, he works through me for the good of humankind.  So, if I am not working, then how can I have faith? How can I be new in Christ?  

Works are the fruit of faith.  The problem:  it is easier to proclaim faith than to surrender to the God who loves us; to the God who wants to work within us and through us.    

The thing that I would caution against is the fact that there is a bit of a line between doing works for our own glory, and really letting God work through us.  God’s work comes from a place of humility, even though there is always pride attached to our efforts.  We have to be aware of when we seek our own glory, and when we are humbly following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That being said, we should always work, but when pride is out of proportion to our humility, then we have to recognize it, hand it to God, and ask him to help us be more humble next time. We have to ask him to use our prideful works for his glory, despite the sin tainted efforts.   

God love us, and wants to use us to bring love to people in need today. May we be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit so that we might be Christ for others today.  May his perfect love for us fill our hearts, and overflow into the lives of others.   

In Him,

dw

I have really struggled with this concept since I zoned in on the idea that following God is not just about the good things in life.  Living in faith includes carrying crosses, and I bet I’m not the only one who really likes a comfortable world that is designed to keep one cozy.  

The problem with riches is that it allows us to take care of ourselves.  I am convinced that the rich man in the Bible walked away because he liked his comfort and ability to determine his own direction in life, too.  So, it isn’t that one has riches, but the attachment to it that causes us to put comfort before love of God. 

In addition, having possessions allows us to save ourselves; to be our own savior.  Who needs God when one can go to the pantry and have food? Who needs God when there is a roof over one’s head? Who needs God when they, by their own will power, act morally.  No, the God in Jesus is a God who wants to care for us, to take care of our needs, and to lead us into and through experiences that shape us more into his image and likeness; that shapes us into who he created us to be.  This means surrendering stuff in order to love him more, and to more fully experience his love for us. 

If this is true, then love of God needs to be lived through surrender, through a willingness to allow him to shape us, to work through us for the shaping of others, and to surrender to him, no matter what the cost. 

Luckily, God accepts us where we are. He allows us to take great or small steps into this place of trust.  It is like ripping off a band-aid.  Do you do it a little at a time or all at once? It is like getting into a cold swimming pool. Do you jump in or do you wade in a little at a time.  I want to be the one that goes for it all at one time.  I am so willing in some things, but not in all things.  

Spend some time today being honest with yourselves about how much you love God, and how much you are willing to give to more fully love him.  It is ok to be closer to the mark in some things than in others.  It is ok to be right where you are; however, it is not ok to stay where we are.  A Christian life is about transformation, it is about transcendence.  Thus, we need to be growing ever more towards God and in God.  As you reflect on where you are in this journey, thank God for allowing you to see in truth. Thank him for his patience and mercy, and ask him to show you the way of surrendering more to his love, and to give up the worldly things that prevent you from more fully loving him in return. 

In Him,

dw

Do you ever feel like your world is two-dimensional? Do you feel like something is missing?  As I studied theology this year, it became more clear to me that I do live in a two-dimensional world, and I need to live in a three-dimensional world.  

Just stop and think about it for a moment.  There is an entire invisible world all around us.  There is a world full of angels and a Triune God; a world where those who have gone before us reside.  This place does not exist on Mars or Saturn. It is all around us.  

There is a world where earthly things exist, and a world where heavenly things reside.  This is why when you cross the threshold into a sacred spot, a church for example, that you feel a change.  All of the architecture and art within are created with the idea of bringing the invisible into our line of sight.  This is why prayer experts tell us to set aside a place in our house for prayer because this place is a sacred place, it is a place where we can more easily connect with the sacred.  

This is one of the reasons why Christians wear religious jewelry. It is why some light candles, which are reminders of a different kind of light; a light that surrounds us and guides us on our way.  It is why church steeples point up, even though God is around us, there is still something in us that wants to think he is up there somewhere.  They still remind us to think of Him. 

As you walk in the visible world today, I encourage you to take a few steps towards recognizing that the sacred world is with you, in you, and around you.  Take a few minutes to train yourself to live in a 3D world by acknowledging it; admiring it, and looking for it as you go today. Say hello to your guardian angel. Imagine his or her wings fluttering near you.  Picture your deceased relative smiling at you.  Take a deep breath, and inhale the fragrances of the world for which we long. 

In Him,

dw

As Christians who lives in the ever present, but not fully realized kingdom of God, we are promised peace.  This seems contradictory to our modern culture, especially in light of the two shootings this past weekend.  Still, Jesus preached truth, so it must be so.  

While pondering this apparent contradiction, I realized that peace does not come from a peaceful world, it comes from trust in God; it comes from surrendering to his will for us.  I think Job said it best: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” Job 1:21.  

This reminds me of a friend of mine.  She told a story about a time in her life when a bad thing happened to her family, and she told us about the fruit that came from walking past all of the damage, and at every spot saying, “blessed be God!”  

We long for a God who loves us the way we want him to love, but he sees all. He knows what is best for our eternity.  He knows what is going to lead us into places of growth and spiritual blessings.  If we can only learn to trust in him, and to walk through this valley of death from this place of trust, then we will know true peace. We will learn to curb anxiety, and to bring true joy into the world. 

Let us pray that God teach us how to trust him in our darker moments, and to live in the peace of the ever present kingdom.  May we all cry out, “my Jesus, I trust in you!”

In Him,

dw

Have you ever noticed that the Our Father says, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”?  I remember the first time I really thought about those words.  I will be judged as I judge others.  It was extremely unnerving to let that truth sink in.  

At the same time, it gets to the heart of the Gospel; the Good News.  Jesus preached love.  The Ten Commandments were summed up as love of God and love of neighbor, all neighbors.  He even expanded on the definition of neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan.  In effect, everyone is our neighbor.  

Forgiveness can be difficult.  Some people have hurt us worse than others.  In these situations, it is only in allowing Jesus into the wound that we can find the grace to forgive.  It is only through Christ that we can look down from our own crosses, and say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  

Sometimes, all we can say is, “God, it is my desire to forgive, but I feel unable. Please give me the grace to forgive.”  In these circumstances, I think it is important to regularly revisit these points of pain, and to continue working to release these feelings. If we do so, we will eventually forgive.  God is content with our desire, and our efforts to let him in so that he can heal these wounds.   

May we all prayerfully reflect on our lives and identify people against whom we hold a grudge.  Let us take these circumstances to prayer, go deeper in our walk with Christ, and let him teach us how to heal, how to forgive, and how to walk more fully in his kingdom; in his kingdom where peace, love and joy prevail.  

In Him, 

dw

You are God. I praise you. You are the Lord, I worship you.  I long to stand in awe of you, but my humanness wants to bring you down to my level; to explain away the great deeds you have done.  My pride does not want to fully accept your power and might. My need to control keeps me from being open to the full wonder of what you have created; what you have created from nothing.  Open my eyes, Lord, to your glory.  Open my heart that I might fully experience the emotions of awe and wonder!  Humble me that I might see you for who you really are. 

We live in a world where we tamp down our emotions. We perceive emotions as something weak; something that makes us less. The truth is that our emotions help us to live life to the fullest, and Jesus came into the world that we might live life abundantly.  He is with us in our sufferings, in our joys, in our every day life. He wants to more fully share in these experiences with us. He wants to show us how to experience them more fully.  

We perceive pain as evil, as bad.  It is. However, all things work to the good, and this applies even to the less enjoyable moments in our lives. If you are suffering today, physically or emotionally, I encourage you to spend sometime with the God who loves you. Ask him to show you how to more fully embrace the experience; how to let it be a transformative experience for you and for others.  Ask him for joy, despite your circumstances.  Ask him to heal you, but only if it be his will.  Ask him for grace to accept his will joyfully. 

May God teach us how to embrace life more fully, and to live joyfully through the ups and downs; grateful for what he has given, and blessing him for what he has not given. He is our Lord, our all-knowing God.  Let us trust him more fully each and every day of our lives. 

In Him,

dw