Ordinary Time 
Pause
All of us live full lives. And yet in spite of all the things we have accomplished thus far or plan to accomplish in the future, there is nothing more valuable in life than the knowledge of God’s presence.
Knowing that God is with you and for you, feel free to let go of everything that is holding you down or holding you back. Settle into the silence of this moment and recognize what a gift it is. Because of God’s love, you are free.
So receive God with gladness, and open both your heart and mind, that God might move in you and through you, even now.
Listen
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first. Then bring it to me. You can make something for yourself and your son after that. This is what Israel’s God, the Lord, says: The jar of flour won’t decrease and the bottle of oil won’t run out until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.”
1 Kings 17:13-14
Think
Too often it can feel like we’re stumbling around in the dark, unsure of how to answer life’s most important questions. From time to time, we may even ask God for a few more details as to what it is we are supposed to do, or even who we are supposed to be. If we appear indecisive to those around us, it’s not because we don’t want to obey God; it’s just hard to be obedient when you’re unsure of God’s will.
Of course, we prefer certainty, but on most days all we really have are hunches — general ideas about what God might want us to do. This is why trying something new and obeying God in spite of what we see can fill us with so much fear. And I imagine this is why Elijah told the widow, “Don’t be afraid!”
Walking confidently into the unknown is a difficult thing to do, but if our past is any indication of our future, then we can trust God will faithfully care for us.
Chris Robertson
Pray
God, I confess that I don’t always trust you with my whole life. I often have more questions than answers, and still, you continue to care for me. So thank you. Thank you for providing for me. Thank you for being with me even as I walk into the unknown. Amen.
Go
“The purpose of prayer and religious seeking is to see the truth about reality, is to see what is. And at the bottom of what is is always goodness. The foundation is always love.”
Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, 2003
God renews our vision and invites us to look deeper — all the way to what is. God wants us to see the love and goodness of what is. Are you paying attention?
