“An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.” A.W. Tozer
Last Sunday, as one of our trip leaders, Dan Leahy, concluded our last video call with a prayerful examination of conscience, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness in every journey. Leahy challenged us to prayerfully visit our days, calling us to a place of gratitude so we could be aware of God’s presence. There were three parts:(1) Reviewing our day, (2) Acknowledging moments that we feel as though we missed the mark, and (3) Looking to the future and turning to God who is, as Leahy says, “always ready to forgive and help.” Faith is a journey, and sometimes we may stumble and fall. Yes, the struggles and sufferings of everyday are real and sometimes consuming, but so is the enduring mercy and grace of God. He does not call us to be perfect, He calls us to be faithful. The examination of conscience reminded me that God wants us to come to Him with everything—our triumphs and victories, but also our pain, shortcomings and doubts. God invites our questioning and, more astonishingly, invites our discontent. He does not grow impatient or frustrated with His children—He already knows what is stirring in our heart, for He is intimately aware of our every thought, but God wants honest, authentic relationship, which requires honest, authentic conversation with Him. So, the closer we get to our trip, the more I am looking at this journey as a time of refinement. I am asking myself, “What is my prayer for this trip?”, and asking God, “What is it in me that You want to transform.” I invite you to do the same. As Leahy reminded us on Sunday, we are always in the presence of God, He never abandons us. He is present in our expectancy and in our struggle, waiting and fighting for us to respond to His love. The examination of conscience is a tool that we can use to always turn back to God and be aware of the things we want to change within ourselves and aware of God’s ability to be completely and totally attentive to each of us. In a few short weeks, as we prepare to walk the same ground of the faithful before us, I pray that we would continue to examine our conscience so we can be mindful of our intentions and hopes for this journey.
Last Sunday, as one of our trip leaders, Dan Leahy, concluded our last video call with a prayerful examination of conscience, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness in every journey. Leahy challenged us to prayerfully visit our days, calling us to a place of gratitude so we could be aware of God’s presence. There were three parts:(1) Reviewing our day, (2) Acknowledging moments that we feel as though we missed the mark, and (3) Looking to the future and turning to God who is, as Leahy says, “always ready to forgive and help.” Faith is a journey, and sometimes we may stumble and fall. Yes, the struggles and sufferings of everyday are real and sometimes consuming, but so is the enduring mercy and grace of God. He does not call us to be perfect, He calls us to be faithful. The examination of conscience reminded me that God wants us to come to Him with everything—our triumphs and victories, but also our pain, shortcomings and doubts. God invites our questioning and, more astonishingly, invites our discontent. He does not grow impatient or frustrated with His children—He already knows what is stirring in our heart, for He is intimately aware of our every thought, but God wants honest, authentic relationship, which requires honest, authentic conversation with Him. So, the closer we get to our trip, the more I am looking at this journey as a time of refinement. I am asking myself, “What is my prayer for this trip?”, and asking God, “What is it in me that You want to transform.” I invite you to do the same. As Leahy reminded us on Sunday, we are always in the presence of God, He never abandons us. He is present in our expectancy and in our struggle, waiting and fighting for us to respond to His love. The examination of conscience is a tool that we can use to always turn back to God and be aware of the things we want to change within ourselves and aware of God’s ability to be completely and totally attentive to each of us. In a few short weeks, as we prepare to walk the same ground of the faithful before us, I pray that we would continue to examine our conscience so we can be mindful of our intentions and hopes for this journey.
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