Janet's Blog

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Where do you fit in this story?

What happened to the faith you were given in childhood?

If you look at the Parable of the Sower, you may discover the answer to this question, but it does take a little thought.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, Jesus offers this parable which describes some different scenarios in regards to faith. The Sower is God, but if we consider the sower to be our parents, we can ask ourselves, "What happened to the faith they tried to instill in me?"

I know for some of you, perhaps your parents did not do this, but if you read this post to the end, you will see it is fitting for you as well.

I'd like you to think about the four scenarios we have in this parable:

1) The seed (the Word of God) fell on a path that was vulnerable to the
birds. They came along and ate it up.

2) The seed fell on rocky ground. Without good soil for it to take root,
when it grew, it was scorched by the sun and withered.

3) The seed fell on thorns and it was choked by the thorns that grew up
around it.

4) The seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit.

So again, I ask, what happened to the faith that began in you?

Was your faith untended and subjected to its environment? Was it unable to survive because it was not strengthened and rooted? Was it endangered by your friends, or a culture, that choked its life out of you?

The first three scenarios do not have to be the end of our story. Today, we can get to #4, even if we have never been introduced to the Word of God, or the Great Sower.

God is always ready to sow new seed into us, so there is always new opportunity for our story to end in rich soil, where we can be productive.

Take some time to reflect on your life and this parable. Discover what it is to live in rich soil, where your faith can grow and prosper. Allow God to do this work in you, beginning today.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at: jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy

Monday, July 22, 2024

Uniting Ourselves to Jesus

The other day when I wrote about pain ("Are you in pain?"), I talked about how we can connect to Jesus on the cross by offering up our pain. You will recall me talking about how he suffered on our behalf and that is something we, too, can do for others.

There are other ways that we can connect in this spiritual way to Jesus, as well.

When adult children disconnect from their parents, no matter the reason, parents might want to consider this as another avenue to connect to the Father.

Every day, God our Father, whose unlimited love for us is constant, must also experience (to put it in human terms) the pain of losing his children, whenever we ignore, reject, or deny his very existence.

Consider how he responds to us when we do that.

He doesn't walk away, he waits. With unconditional love, he waits for us to open our eyes, and our heart, and return to him. When we do return (however long it might take), he is there, ready to pour out his love and forgiveness.

In this same way, we can, in imitation of the Father, respond to others whenever we are ignored or rejected. Yes, it hurts at the time, but there is always hope that reconciliation is possible, even in the toughest of circumstances.

To put a finer point on it, hopefully thinking along these lines, you might want to reflect on your own relationship with God, our Father, and see if your behavior towards him is in need of any improvement.

If the rope connecting you to the Father, or others, is fraying, never give up hope. As long as we are alive, there is potential for the bonds of love to strengthen it.

Janet Cassidy

Email me at: jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy