God’s Grace

In many trying times I have found constant solace and comfort in the Lord. He has given me peace and understanding beyond human comprehension. He has also blessed me with a good family and many friends that bear witness to His compassion and symbolize the tangible form of His love. He sometimes uses strangers as vehicles of His message.

Tonight, I watched the Barbara Best Singers at the St. Pie X church as they rendered gospel and spiritual songs. I was waiting for the regular “Amazing Grace” but it never came. When the show was about to end, I was tempted to go up the stage and ask the singers to sing it. Nothing should have prevented me because two members of the audience actually went up the stage to ask for autographs. But I was still my shy self. My mom said, it takes time…even she, with the greatest courage and almost non-existent shyness, didn’t come up the stage to ask the singers. I just felt a bit frustrated since I should have been more courageous…“It takes time,” my mom repeated. And with that, I put my soul to rest. After all, I didn’t ask Mariah Carey to sing a particular song when I watched her in concert. :)

Despite the disappointment, I heard some songs that I needed to hear. As the songs were performed, one song particularly struck me. The lyrics went, “Lord, thank you for opening a door that I didn’t even see.” There’s a saying, “When one door closes, a window is opened.” Helen Keller, a blind, deaf and once mute lady added, “But we often stare at the closed door that we don’t see the opened window.”

The Lord is kind and gracious. He is understanding and a kind father. He teaches with great reproach but loves with great compassion.

I am guilty of sometimes blaming Him for why things happen the way they do…and when burdens come my way…I ask Him “Why me?” But I quickly leave my blaming and ask Him to help me carry my burden. A passage in the Bible says, “Cast your burdens upon me, those who are heavily laden. Come to me and I will give you rest.” A friend offered me this passage at one of the lowest points in my life…It brought me to my senses, made me trust in His will and prayed for His grace to get me through my hardest times. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes, it is only Him who knows why. It is up to us to pray for discernment.