People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
On Saturday I attended the first ever Catholic Women's Conference for our Diocese. There were 500 women present and it was absolutely wonderful. It was a two hour drive but I was so glad that I went. Our keynote speaker for the day was Renee Bondi of Bondi Ministries. To call her an inspiration is an understatement. Read her story and then try to complain about any inconvenience in your daily life. It will likely pale in comparison to what she has to do to just get ready for the day. The message seared into my heart was : Be Grateful Always : which recalled to me my favorite scripture verse anew. Doesn't it seem that an attitude of gratitude is the key to a happy life? Take a moment, right now, to stop and count the blessings around you. From a roof overhead to the sunlight on your shoulders, we each have so many reasons to be grateful for what we have and not to be postponing happiness until we "get" something else in our lives.
The other big takeaway for me was the amazing gift of Scripture. It is easy to think of it as outdated and too hard to read but the word has power - it is the breath of God. We often let the Bible sit on a shelf untouched as if we can obtain its teaching through osmosis. But the magic happens when we crack the cover and take it in. The conference renewed my desire to open my Bible more often and let the word of God directly affect my spirit. Can you do the same? I guarantee you will be amazed at what depth of wisdom you can find in just a few passages. (If you don't know where to start I recommend beginning in Hebrews and continuing through James, 1 and 2 Peter and 1 John. And please get a translation you can easily understand. Don't force yourself to read King James if it's not your style.) Treat yourself to a paragraph or two a day and see how it applies to your needs. I'm excited to get back into it myself.
I'd love to hear what your favorite books of the Bible are as well so share them in the comments if you'd like.
The other big takeaway for me was the amazing gift of Scripture. It is easy to think of it as outdated and too hard to read but the word has power - it is the breath of God. We often let the Bible sit on a shelf untouched as if we can obtain its teaching through osmosis. But the magic happens when we crack the cover and take it in. The conference renewed my desire to open my Bible more often and let the word of God directly affect my spirit. Can you do the same? I guarantee you will be amazed at what depth of wisdom you can find in just a few passages. (If you don't know where to start I recommend beginning in Hebrews and continuing through James, 1 and 2 Peter and 1 John. And please get a translation you can easily understand. Don't force yourself to read King James if it's not your style.) Treat yourself to a paragraph or two a day and see how it applies to your needs. I'm excited to get back into it myself.
I'd love to hear what your favorite books of the Bible are as well so share them in the comments if you'd like.
I love reading the Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom & Sirach--especially if I'm not sure where to start. I just pick the chapter that corresponds to the day. It sounds like your spirit was refreshed, good for you.
ReplyDeleteSirach - what a hidden gem of a book. Yes!
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