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Letting God Love Us
>> Sunday, June 14, 2009
As I posted early this week, I started listening to an audio retreat done by Fr. Tom Shanahan. It has truly been a blessing.
In the talk I listened to the other day, Fr. Tom made the statement that the best way "to love God is to let God love us." He said that to let God love us is to put the focus on God rather than on ourselves. To let God love us is to receive His gifts with gratitude and to use those gifts.
I remember being on a diaconate retreat with my hubby a couple of years ago. The priest directing the retreat told of how a woman once came to him, a little concerned about her "after Communion prayer." She said she didn't know if she was doing it right because she wasn't using any eloquent or "holy-sounding" words. In fact, she wasn't using any words at all. She told the priest that after she received the Eucharist, she would just sit there, and let Jesus love her. Well, (no surprise here), Father told her she was praying just fine.
We so often think that we need to run around and say fancy prayers and DO so many wonderful things for God in order to show him we love him. But then it becomes all about us rather than all about God. We begin to think that it is OUR ministry and it is OUR prayer that is so special or holy or whatever.
But when we sit with the Lord and let Him pray in us and let Him lead us and let Him decide what fruits will come from our ministry, well, then, that is when we are really letting God love us. When we surrender all to Him, even our will, we are telling God that we trust Him and that we love Him and we do not need to be in charge.
It took me years to let my hubby into my heart. I was not a very trusting person. I was scared to death of love. I was scared of loving and of being loved. But I grew to trust him. And when I knew I loved him, that was when I could finally let him love me back.
I was the same way with God. It took me years to trust Him enough to let Him in, to let Him love me, to let Him guide me. It took years to understand that all God really wants, is me. He calls me - He calls all of us - to Himself.
To let God love me is to let God work in me and pray in me and rest in me and to pour His graces into my heart.
Dear Lord, help me to let you love me, to not reject your gift of love, but to accept it, with trust and surrender and humility. Amen.
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7 comments:
"But when we sit with the Lord and let Him pray in us and let Him lead us and let Him decide what fruits will come from our ministry, well, then, that is when we are really letting God love us. When we surrender all to Him, even our will, we are telling God that we trust Him and that we love Him and we do not need to be in charge."
I NEEDED THIS SO MUCH TODAY COLLEEN.
Blessings and thank you.
Good morning Colleen. I've been away from my computer awhile. Thank you so much for the award. It's an honor. I will be posting about it shortly.
To just sit where we are and let Jesus love us...
...makes me feel peaceful to just think about it.
Blessings, have a wonderful Lord's day.
Wonderful post.
A few years ago in confession, I confessed that I hadn't been letting God love me. The priest said that was ridiculous because I can't stop God from loving me. Anyone else I mentioned it to said the same thing.
But it sounds like you would get what I meant. For the longest time, I related to God in a way that was also an attempt to protect myself from Him, and that needed to be changed.
Thank you for this entry.
JBR, I am soooo glad that my words were what you needed. Or should I say, the words of the Holy Spirit who spoke to my heart!
Debra, you are welcome. Glad those words brought you peace.
April, thank you and God bless.
Philangelus, you are welcome and yes, I do get what you meant. Totally! Glad you got some affirmation from my post today. God bless.
"Dear Lord, help me to let you love me, to not reject your gift of love, but to accept it, with trust and surrender and humility. Amen."
What a beautiful prayer. As I was reading, I was thinking, "How do I let God love me?" The answer was the end of your post--ask Him to help me trust Him.
Dympma, thank you. Funny, but I was asking myself the same question and that is when the prayer came to me. God bless.
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