It’s WORTH REVISITING WEDNESDAY :Seeking Joy!

It’s Worth Revisiting Wednesday! A place where you can come and bring a past & treasured post to share, and link-up with fellow bloggers! Co-Hosted with Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You.

When thinking about creating a new link-up opportunity for Wednesday, this idea of sharing a cherished previous post came to mind. For, getting together with friends isn’t always about what’s new in our lives, but often a stroll down memory lane. With that in mind, grab a seat, sit back and join in the conversation!

“Seeking Joy!”: Making Space for God, Part 1

(First posted August 19, 2014)

In preparation for last Saturday’s “Seeking Joy!” retreat, one feeling pervaded, that of anticipation, and one solitary thought kept rushing to the forefront of my mind.. Why do we wait so long? In the course of our busy lives, so often we need to reach out and grasp the opportunity to step away from the rush of life in order to better see what is keeping us from our true enjoyment of it. And still, at the risk of making an overgeneralization, I believe as women we resist taking this time- thinking that the world cannot function without us physically there to oversee and guide its operation. Guess what, that is God’s job! 🙂

How do we do that though…how do we give God the reins to take charge of our lives and that of the world around us? This is the immeasurable gift of retreat- in taking this step away to reexamine our lives, to consider our attachments and disconnections, we make space for God’s love to reorder and transform us deep within. For, when we see who we are in Christ, and open our hearts to accept his love and mercy, then this is where the healing begins.

It is where we discover true joy, a wellspring that cannot ever truly be taken away. Likewise, God’s love does not only prompt joy for ourselves alone, but overflows and spills out into the lives of all of our families and communities as they too encounter its beauty in us.

So, wait- taking time for ourselves and God amidst the daily demands of life actually blesses those whom we love? Absolutely, it does! Looking round the room, God had brought together approximately 40 women, all of whom had awoken early this Saturday morning to learn, grow, and share in faith with one another. Through prayer, laughter, reflection, and reconciliation we became more aware of the things in our lives that are needlessly filling the space in our hearts and minds, so that we can truly love ourselves and others the way God loves us. Only then can we fully experience the peace and joy that comes from trusting in God’s promise in spite of the circumstances that so often arise in life.

“Let this experience imprinted in the Gospel, be imprinted in our hearts and in our lives. Let the joyous wonder of Easter Sunday radiate through our thoughts , looks, attitudes , gestures and words …” Pope Francis (Regina Coeli address, Apr. 22, 2014.)