A Reminder to Trust in Jesus
(Click to enlarge the photos or scroll to read the transcript)
Dear Sisters in Christ,
Sometimes Jesus has to bop you upside the head with a 2x4 to get your attention. You feel me?
The last three years, during which my husband unexpectedly lost his job, have tested my faith in God mightily. Each time our situation went from bad to worse, I would find myself wondering ‘why’. I felt utterly abandoned. I could feel myself becoming more bitter and angry with each passing day, trying my best not to let others see.
By the time Lent came around this year, I was determined to accept and lovingly embrace whatever He sent me. A friend gifted me with a ticket to an upcoming Blessed is She retreat in our neck of the woods, and I accepted gratefully.
The entire day was a joy from beginning to end, but Jesus saved the best for last. During the period of adoration at end of the retreat, Father processed to the row knelt in, coming to a stop directly in front of me. As I gazed at Our Lord, I felt him beckoning me to reach out and touch. Clasping the monstrance, I quite literally felt Love flowing into my body, taking over my very being.
I broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. At that moment, it was crystal clear: Jesus loves me beyond anything I could ever imagine. He has been right here with me through it all, loving me and providing what I need to make it through each day. I had been trying so very hard to escape the loving hands of the Divine Gardener, who was pruning away my dead branches so that good fruit could be borne for His glory. He wanted to strip me of everything comforting in my life so that I would throw myself at His feet, depending solely upon Him, but I had been refusing his ministrations, preferring my vision of how things should be.
No more! Jesus rocked my world that day, and I am forever changed. I will never again doubt Thomas’ His love and goodness. Sisters... I just want to encourage you, if you are going through a difficult season in life... Trust Him, abandon yourself joyfully to His will, believe He knows what is best for you (He does!). Let Him support you through your trials. Listen for His voice. He wants you to know how much He loves you. Because He really does.
In His Love, Jennifer XOXOXO
