Looking beyond the bluebells

[AutumnRose]

Some ponderings of mine!

I was struck by something I heard on the radio last night. Every Sunday evening, I listen to Sunday Half Hour with Father Brian d’Arcy.  Last night, he shared about an experience which really spoke to me. He talked about his yearly visit to the island of Inish Davar on Lough Erne in Northern Ireland to see the beautiful display on bluebells. This year, the display had been less spectacular due to the over-long, over-cold winter, but rather than being a disappointment, Father d’Arcy said that this led him to look around, and further afield, at the other natural beauty the island had to offer. Instead of being mesmerised by the bluebells alone, his vision was widened to take in much more, things he hadn’t really noticed before despite having made many visits.

This is a really powerful picture, because it tells me that I can so often focus on what is good and beautiful immediately “close to home”, and be mesmerised by it. Whilst it is, of course, good to acknowledge our blessings and consolations, we can too easily become obsessed by them, or think that they are necessary to our well-being. And yet there are times when God removes these familiar, expected consolations from our lives, for our own good, so that we can widen our vision and look for broader horizons. Focusing in on one small aspect of our lives often means that we miss other, equally beautiful sights, and even when all consolations have been removed, hope is not lost, for then we can do nothing but focus on God.

There is a saying I came across a while ago “seek God’s heart, not His hands”. In other words, seek God for who He is, rather than for what He can give us. It may be that God gives us nothing but Himself, but in that, we have everything we could ever need, as the prayer of St. Ignatius reminds us:

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding and my whole will.
All that I am and all that I possess You have given me:
I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will.
Give me only Your love and Your grace;
with these I will be rich enough,
and will desire nothing more.
~Amen~

There are many examples in the lives of the saints, of godly men and women who surrendered to God all earthly and worldly comforts in His service, accepting sickness, persecutions even death, and were richly blessed spiritually. Even if we can only imitate them in very small ways, it is a step. We may not always have a profusion of bluebells, but we will always have God.

 

[Shin]

I remember as I was heading home from the trip, I would look at all the flowers, the bachelor buttons, flox, and so many others I don't know the names of on the way. From strange trees with short branches, to a deer, cows, horses.. to mountain vistas covered in mist like clouds come to earth with the river running by them.

Travel truly is broadening!

When you say, 'seek God's heart, not His hands' it makes me think of seeing His love in the flowers!

[Patricia]

“seek God’s heart, not His hands”. In other words, seek God for who He is, rather than for what He can give us. It may be that God gives us nothing but Himself, but in that, we have everything we could ever need, as the prayer of St. Ignatius reminds us:

Seek God's heart, not His Hands.....How touching are these words! :'(  And it makes me think of how fearful and anxious I am  rather than accept the difficulties that come my way with love. I know He has a broader picture for me in mind, only I can't see it.

Listen carefully. There is a mother who is embroidering. Her son sitting on a low stool sees her work, but upside down. He sees the knots of the embroidery, the tangled threads and says, "Mother, what are you doing? Your work is not at all clear." Then the mother lowers the embroidery frame and shows the good part of her work. Each color is in its place and the variety of threads form a harmonious design. We are seeing the reverse side of the embroidery; we are sitting on the low stool.
~~ Padre Pio

[Shin]

This beautiful reflection also reminds me of the recent quote of the day..

'The person who loves God values knowledge of God more than anything created by God, and pursues such knowledge ardently and ceaselessly. If everything that exists was made by God and for God, and God is superior to the things made by Him, he who abandons what is superior and devotes himself to what is inferior shows that he values things made by God more than God Himself.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

 

[Brigid]

Seek God's heart, not His Hands

I have a statue of El Nino (The Child Jesus) with Him stretching out His Hand to give me His Heart. I got it from EWTN and it's the picture they often show outside of the chapel. It helps me to remember to do this.

[Shin]

Seek God's heart, not His Hands

I have a statue of El Nino (The Child Jesus) with Him stretching out His Hand to give me His Heart. I got it from EWTN and it's the picture they often show outside of the chapel. It helps me to remember to do this.

This is one of the most beautiful images to consider in the mind! Thank you Brigid!  I deeply appreciate it!

[martin]

What consolation to look upon the Child Jesus. The innocence, simplicity, humility, purity and benevolence of God made all the more apparent even to the most hardened heart.