Imitating Jesus – Honour God with our Hearts – Positive Body Language – Be Still

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday September 22, 2015

Greetings Vincentian Family:  We are truly blessed to be called to do the work we do around the world with many venues, ideas and methods of answering God’s call.   He calls us to serve the most needy and misunderstood of His flock.  We in reality will learn from Him walking in His footsteps and serving Him in all we meet.  We serve Jesus and bring His love to all who are in need.  It does not end there; we serve each other and pray for each other and especially those we serve.  Lord Jesus: May Your Spirit fill all my being, and may Your Word take its place in me. May all my works, thoughts and words fulfill the purpose You planned for me. Amen.  Have a great week.  Pray for the damage from the many fires in the Western US and in parts of Western Canada.  Serious damage is being done.

Imitating Jesus – We often hear it said that friends are the family that we choose for ourselves. If so, let us choose the friends of Jesus to be among our own. The best of friends always call one another higher, in imitation of the Divine Friend, Jesus.  No one can destroy what God has called you to do.  He gave us the Son to show us the way and to show His love for us.  We imitate Him in our love and service to others especially those in need.  When spiritual growth is important to us we imitate Christ and are never the same.  Everyone changes and we seem to focus on their past instead of the present.  Others seem to decide what we should do and how we should do it.  No one can change what God calls us to do.  “If He leads us to it, He will get us through it.”  He has filled you with valuable gifts and wisdom which are unique to you and He never leaves you.  God calls you to serve and imitate His Son.  Do what Jesus did when criticized, He walked away.  Yes, He was saddened, but He went where He could make a difference.  Success in your service is the true result of imitating Jesus and makes you a better person and the people you serve.  They see Jesus in you and you serve Jesus in them.

Honour God with our Hearts – “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”  (Mark 7:21)  Do not worship Jesus in vain.  See Him in all we serve and serve Him well.  When we honour others, we honour God!  We cannot serve Him and criticize or complain.  We are called to be doers of the word.  We memorize Scripture and then sometimes forget; although we listen we do not always live the Word.  Of greatest importance are the Commandments of God, the Moral Laws, which never change. All of them help us on our journey to heaven.  Pure religion is caring for one another in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Life is not always fair.  We serve those without criticizing or judging. Mourning can be sharp and deep when we are teenagers: the loss of a first love, perhaps or the disappointment of not being accepted by the college we want or not getting the summer job for which we know we are perfect. On the cusp of adulthood, we learn anew one of the hardest lessons from childhood: Life isn’t always fair. Honour God always with your hearts, it is the true worship.

Positive Body Language – We were blessed with a beautiful granddaughter, Ashley who will be 23 next month.  Ashley was born deaf and I remember some of her first wonders.  She got her first hearing aid while quite young and struggled to hear to no avail.  She finally received a cochlear implant and the first sounds she heard was a crinkling bag.  She was terrified and had to be taught the wonders of these sounds through our body language.  She had to be re-assured by touch, smiles and many hugs.  She made it.  I remember one time she was at the lake with us and she was swimming.  There was a beaver in the water and I tried to get her attention to see the beautiful site.  I made signs to her, but they were the wrong ones, she panicked.  I was making an alligator sign and to poor soul almost died trying to get to me.  I mention this because I think we all have to learn how to use better signs with our bodies when we visit those in need.  Our body language must be real.  Our phony smiles and lip service can be seen through, so make everything genuine.  Yes we use good words, but sadly our body language is louder than words and very harmful.  Make your body language genuine.  Your hugs real and your smiles should the love of God.   How do we handle strangers; the homeless?  If there is nothing else that we can do this week, when we see a stranger or a homeless person – look them in the eyes, acknowledge their humanity.  If we cannot do anything else at least give them the dignity of a look of sincerity and authenticity; human being meeting another human being without judgment. It could be the humanity they are looking for and probably the only one they will receive.  That is all I ask – look upon them with kindness, gentleness. Why? Because that is what Christ did and we claim to follow Him.

Be Still – Try to spend a minute being still. Turn off any distracting noises. Put aside the cares of the day. Imagine His love showering upon you. Focus on a cross or your favorite picture of Jesus. Be still, and know that He is God.  In the still moments of our life, listen to the whispers of God.  Be still He is there.  People believe in those who believe in themselves.  God believes in you.  He helps you with your service to His Son – Be Still.  You have to take the good with the bad, smile when you’re sad, love what you’ve got and remember what you had.  Always forgive but never forget, learn from your mistakes but never regret, people change, and things go wrong.  Life goes on.  A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there, unless you are still with God.  Be still and know I am your God.

Blessings,

Lynn

Lynn L’Heureux is Special needs co-coordinator & Advisor of the Society of St Vincent de Paul Calgary Alberta Canada.