I went on a diaconate retreat this past weekend with my hubby. It was a wonderful retreat and over the next few posts, I hope to share some of it with you.
The retreat master was Father Melvin Shorter, a Passionist priest, and he was a wonderful preacher and leader, often using stories to make his point. Since I also use stories when leading retreats, I was hoping to learn from him. And I did.
But more important, the Lord used Father's words and stories to nourish my soul. I really needed some nourishment, too. I have been so busy, and my prayer life has been so dry.
Father Mel ended the very first conference with these two questions:
Do you know who you are?
Do you know WHOSE you are?
Those questions stuck to me all weekend. Especially the 2nd one. Do I know WHOSE I am?
I know the answer. I know I belong to God. I know I am the daughter of the Father. At least in my head I do. But what about my heart?
Do I live like I know I am His beloved daughter? Do I know I am a child of God?
I have been on a journey of healing all of my life. Sexually abused as a child, I had no idea I had a Father who loved me. Or did I? As a child, I loved going to church. I even walked to church by myself sometimes.
I must have known in my heart of hearts that I belonged somewhere. I must have known whose daughter I really was. Do I know now? Do I know in my heart who my true Father is?
Yes, I know. Today I know. I can forget sometimes when my childhood memories threaten my peace of mind. But even when I am deep in the pit, I can sense, deep down inside ... a presence ... a peace ... that cannot be denied.
But just in case I was wavering on that answer too much, the Lord made sure I got the message.
When I came home from the retreat, I caught up on some of my email and visited some of the blogs I follow. One of them was Jean's blog, Healthy Spirituality. The headline on her post?
You're Mine.
You're Mine.
6 thoughts:
Colleen,
Sometimes the title of my blog serves as a very humbling reminder of who I am and Whose I am. How very often I am the rebellious daughter of the King!The more I believe that I am His, the less rebellious I become. Like any good daughter, my life should reflect the Goodness I come from and belong to.
Thanks for sharing some of your retreat with us.
God Bless!
Colleen,
You get a lot of those God-incidences, don't you? I love these they always make me smile. I wish more people would see things this way, but no, EVERYTHING is a coincidence for some people. I had a God-incidence yesterday, too. I went on Nancy's blog [Be Not Afraid] and you know that Lost countdown ticker that she has up? When I popped on her site it flickered to 333 and then went back to it's regular number. Strange. And I definitely did not see it wrong.
Karinann, thanks for sharing, too! I get a bit rebellious myself. I am glad He loves us no matter what! God bless!
Mary, glad you like my God incidences. Thanks for sharing your's! I do not think there is any such thing as a coincidence. Wait til you read my final post on my retreat. God is quite amazing. God bless!
I came to your post this morning for several reasons: I prayed for you while you were on your retreat and wanted to know how it went, Secondly, going on retreat has been a significant path to God for me and wow, your post shows me once again it IS worth the time and effort to seek retreat time. THEN I was so surprised to see a reference to my blog. God is so good to bless both of us and call us his daughters. I am looking forward to continued reading about your retreat. May God continue to fill your heart with love and heal all wounds.
Seems like Blueberry Muffins needs a NEW CHAPTER!!!!
I am thankful that Our Lord always sees to it to meet you right where you are hurting Colleen...this must be why you have been such an amazing survivor! God bless you this day as go walk assuredly in WHOSE you are!
Jean, glad I surprised you!! Thank you for your prayers. My retreat was wonderful for sure. God bless!
Judy, you are right! Perhaps a sequel? Yes, once I found the Lord in my suffering, it has made all the difference in my life. Thanks for your beautiful comment. God bless!
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