A friend recently came to me appalled at a statement a family member had made to her when she shared one of her children’s struggles with them, seeking advice. “Your life is f—ed,” announced her kin. Her family member saw no hope in the situation and could predict the future struggles this child most likely would face. Silenced by the bold statement, my friend knew not what to respond. Obviously, these same thoughts had relentlessly been pelting her and keeping her wide eyed at night. She admitted to me that she had allowed the worry to consume her. That is until she had a revelation, God was even in these circumstances. He was there with her teen as the child failed to make good decisions, preventing serious harm from occurring. God made His presence known through friends’ phone calls, small consolations, and most of all through kind, compassionate, and understanding ears as she attempted to help her child navigate this troublesome time.
Not only did my friend, her husband, and her child suffer from all that was occurring, her family suffered as well. So, pouring words like “Your life is f—ed!” into a festering wound only caused more foul puss to manifest and flow. Luckily, my friend had the remedies that kept the wound from spreading. She possessed faith and hope. Sitting with the grisly words her family had proclaimed to be fact, she prayed to the Lord asking Him to reveal to her the truth in this situation. He opened her eyes, allowing her to see that the reality was that her life was not anything other than how the Lord envisioned it. He was aware, when He gifted her children to her and her husband, of the specific battles and struggles they would encounter. God knew she and her husband would need Him to help them face each day and support their children as they battled the temptations of the world. They were not alone. We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 1: 8-9 of the Lord’s constant presence and our need to rely fully on him and not our own abilities. “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
My friend chose the higher road. Praying for the deliverer of those harsh words and holding her head even higher, knowing the Lord had her back, she moved past her family member’s judgement of her child. Resting in the Lord provided a peace for my friend that no worldly advice or wisdom could compete with. Understanding her child’s life decisions were bigger than her, she handed it off to the only One big enough to handle it. “Jesus, I surrender it all to you, take care of everything,” are the words that pass through her lips in nearly every difficult moment. Each evening she prays this same short prayer, reminding herself again and again to trust that the Lord has her covered. Resting in Him is repose enough to face any battle, even those that are not yours to fight, which sometimes are the hardest to hand over. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Call to Act: Where is the Lord asking you to surrender an area of your life to Him? Are you blocking Him from stepping in and taking care of things for you? I encourage you to trust in Him and recall all the seemingly impossible situations He has overcome. Allow Him the space to do the same for you and yours again and again. My prayers are with you sister as you courageously face each day with the Lord at the forefront. Simply utter, Jesus, I trust in you.
Saint Lucy, pray for us that we have the courage to face even the most terrifying trials, constantly placing the Lord at the forefront. Ask that we are able to hold fast to our faith and place our trust in the Lord as fear threatens to overcome us. Beg the Lord to come to our rescue and make His presence known in order to bring many to see His power, might, and tremendous mercy. Finally, St. Lucy, who loved the Lord above all things, beseech the Lord to give us the grace to surrender to His will just as you were able to in your final moments. We ask this through Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Climbing Beehive in Acadia National Park in Maine. Trust not in your own abilities but in the Lord.
Saint Lucy
Through the centuries many stories have been shared about the life of St. Lucy. Sadly, not much is known or can be confirmed about her life. We hold onto the stories of her courage and great faith as we trust that these will lead us ever closer to Our Lord and a sanctifying way of life. All we know for certain is that Lucy was a Sicilian who was accused of being Christian by her suitor and thus was executed in Sicily in 304. Exhibiting an outstanding faith, Christians for centuries have turned to her example of courage. The legends persist and though not able to be proven, allow us to see the admiration that Christians of Lucy’s time had for her brave fight and tenacious attitude. St. Lucy is well known as being the patron saint of the blind. Read more about her here:
Listen to a Saints Alive podcast about her here (Appropriate for most children):