A
Anglewannabe
Guest
Why is it that I feel like if I agree to surrendering to God’s will, I am admitting to accepting looser status?
Discuss
Discuss
- Status
S
sirach2v4
Guest
you meant to say “loser” status, I suppose.
I am confident surrendering to God’s will because that is His will. I pray “thy will be done” whether it’s for my personal gain or loss.
What is “ten” on the scale of submitting to God’s will? Martyrdom? death for faith in Christ? Not all would do that, they would pull back because of a lack of faith in God.
Is that our problem as Catholics? being “overly” faithful to God? As a Church, I hardly think so. Not if thellatest stats on church attendance are any indication.
I am confident surrendering to God’s will because that is His will. I pray “thy will be done” whether it’s for my personal gain or loss.
What is “ten” on the scale of submitting to God’s will? Martyrdom? death for faith in Christ? Not all would do that, they would pull back because of a lack of faith in God.
Is that our problem as Catholics? being “overly” faithful to God? As a Church, I hardly think so. Not if thellatest stats on church attendance are any indication.
F
fhansen
Guest
Its very hard; Jesus turned the other cheek all the way through His passion and death, forgiving it all. The alternative to loving our enemies seems to be to become like them, giving in to our baser instincts to take an eye for an eye-or worse-and then nothing changes; the world just becomes a little worse as a result; Satan gets his way. From the Catechism:
**409 This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one"makes man’s life a battle:
The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.**
B
Bruised_Reed
Guest
Are you referring to one particular area of your life or in all things?
I don’t feel like a loser but I do find it a little scary and worry if I truly mean it God will test me. How to Train Your Gargoyle is a Lenten reflection but it discusses what I’m talking about.
Or is it even God’s will? Are you surrendering to God’s will or resigned to a unwanted situation?
How does this prayer make you feel?
I think it’s beautiful and it melts my heart but the more literal my reflection on this is, the more difficult it becomes. I want to not overthink it, but just do it.
B
br4ndon21
Guest
Honestly, I don’t think it’s suppose to be “comfortable” surrendering to God’s will. But I do believe that in doing so, we are granted grace and peace.
This has always been something that’s been very hard for me to do…relenquish control and surrender to God’s will. But if we’re ever to really have true and lasting peace, we must.
I pray that we will all find it easier to let go and submit to the will of our Father in Heaven and be at peace.
This has always been something that’s been very hard for me to do…relenquish control and surrender to God’s will. But if we’re ever to really have true and lasting peace, we must.
I pray that we will all find it easier to let go and submit to the will of our Father in Heaven and be at peace.
T
Trekker47
Guest
Out of curiosity, are you thinking that surrendering to God’s will is a loss of freedom? In a way, it’s really the opposite. Think of an alcoholic who’s addicted to drink, but frequently says “I can stop any time I want to.” We know that’s not true, and it’s the drink that’s controlling him. Sin (ie. going against God’s will) is pretty much the same thing, you think you’re free to do whatever you want, but in reality you’re held to a sinful behaviour by habit. Turning to God is what gives you willpower and self-mastery to be truly free.
J
John_Martin
Guest
Surrendering to God’s Will is not as “big” nor as “vague” as many think. It is just like being at work, in a way,… your boss wants you to do something, so you tell your boss, “I will get it done for you”, and then you do that as well as other things your boss wants done. But you do not do things you want to do, like going online to look for hunting supplies for the upcoming Deer Season here in Minnesota (well, it begins today, so it is not upcoming any longer).
Surrendering to God’s will is as simple as telling God, right now, “Jesus, I am about to do this work or task, and I am doing it for you.” Then do it, knowing it is a gift to him. Every time something comes up to do, do it and give it as a gift to God, rather than for your boss, for your spouse of family, for yourself, and tell him that. If you are praying, “God, this prayer is a gift to you”, if you are writing a new software solution (as I do at work), “Jesus, I am designing this for you as a gift for you to share with the people here at work:”, If cooking dinner, “Father, you who give me all good things, I am cooking this for you as a gift for you to use in your providing for my family”, etc. It is like being God’s personal aid, getting things done for him that you know he can use. Understanding that this is your mission in living.
Something came up for Mary, and she replied, “Let it be with me according to your word”. She did not think about whether it would benefit her (doing it for herself), nor about what it would do to her reputation with Joseph or her community (doing it for her spouse or for her social image).
Here is someone who gives instruction in doing this in an easy to read format:
ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice
(choose “Read Online” in the Available Formats part of the page) It is how an uneducated monk in the 1600s realized how to surrender to, to do, the Will of God in the mundane and average everyday life of one of the “worker bees” of a monastery.
Surrendering to God’s will is as simple as telling God, right now, “Jesus, I am about to do this work or task, and I am doing it for you.” Then do it, knowing it is a gift to him. Every time something comes up to do, do it and give it as a gift to God, rather than for your boss, for your spouse of family, for yourself, and tell him that. If you are praying, “God, this prayer is a gift to you”, if you are writing a new software solution (as I do at work), “Jesus, I am designing this for you as a gift for you to share with the people here at work:”, If cooking dinner, “Father, you who give me all good things, I am cooking this for you as a gift for you to use in your providing for my family”, etc. It is like being God’s personal aid, getting things done for him that you know he can use. Understanding that this is your mission in living.
Something came up for Mary, and she replied, “Let it be with me according to your word”. She did not think about whether it would benefit her (doing it for herself), nor about what it would do to her reputation with Joseph or her community (doing it for her spouse or for her social image).
Here is someone who gives instruction in doing this in an easy to read format:
ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice
(choose “Read Online” in the Available Formats part of the page) It is how an uneducated monk in the 1600s realized how to surrender to, to do, the Will of God in the mundane and average everyday life of one of the “worker bees” of a monastery.
G
glendab
Guest
Sounds like you are suffering from hanging out with non-believers and have absorbed some of their negativity without knowing it. Stick with the winners and you’ll be one. Read the biographies of the Saints and imitate their works and virtue and you’ll soon not worry so much about what others think of you.
Glenda
Glenda
T
TheSurvivor
Guest
Read Uniformity With God’s Will by Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri. It is only about 25 pages.
I Highly Recommend This Leaflet
catholicspiritualdirection.org/uniformitygod.pdf
May God Bless you
S
St_Francis
Guest
Because in our Godless society, people deem it to be. Atheists frequently say that believers are weak and need the crutch of belief in God and other similar comments. Atheists appeal to people’s pride trying to convert them away from their belief in God.
Consider who the society we are immersed in considers the winners and losers:
Kim Karadashian? Eminem? Bill Gates?
What happens to those who buy into that philosophy the most? Robin Williams. Lindsay Lohan. Bernie Madoff.
Now let’s consider those who devote themselves to God’s service: We are celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall: St Pope John Paul II. Mother Theresa. Those being killed for going to Mass…
So, who do you think are the real losers?
H
HCTC
Guest
For me “surrendering to God’s will” is not about winning or losing… I pray every day that God will make me an instrument of His will; His peace - because I trust in His love and goodness. My struggle with this is that I am a poor servant, and I become easily confused between God’s will and my own ego and desires. However, I have found a good indicator of when I am drifting away from the work that my Heavenly Father gives to me - it is when I became overly worried about outcomes. At these times I remind myself to trust in The Lord… and I say a Rosary.
A
Anglewannabe
Guest
I don’t know if I would define it as a loss of freedom but… I will say that I have a good education and have often taken jobs below it to pay the bills. I have been in the work force 25 years and never had my big break. It feels like surrendering to God’s will means to quit trying to have a successful career.
If also feels like if someone hurts me, unless I immediately forgive I am bad and have no right to expect others to treat me with respect. I am all for forgiveness but I am fed up with feeling like it is always my fault for having feelings
G
glendab
Guest
Hello Angelwannabe.
Pray for a little while for the virtue of Fortitude. It may help.
Oh well. I’ve said too much again. Forgive me if I offend. I don’t mean to. God bless and hang in there. Life leads to Heaven, not easy retirement.
Glenda
Regarding feelings: “…and Jesus wept…” See how God FEELS! I like to tell others that there is no feeling that humans have felt that God hasn’t felt Himself. He is with us through it all. Being human is such a thrill, God Himself simply had to do so too! We wouldn’t be complete persons if we didn’t feel anything. While feelings aren’t facts, they are real and need processing. Fortitude is the virtue that helps us sort through them and come out on top of them rather than being dominated by them. But sometimes they can be overwhelming and that is O.K. too! Remember how much God went through in the Garden at Gethsemane. You aren’t at fault for having feelings. You are simply human. What we do about our feelings makes all the difference in the world. Your big break is Heaven and although I can really feel for you in your frustration, realize it is a passing thing. Everything we do or think is preparation for our final destination: Heaven. Those who are seeking that eternity will have trials and tribulations and troubles. It is par for the course. Sometimes I flip it a bit and look at my troubles and trials and tribulations and chuckle and say to myself, “I **must **be headed for Heaven for all the pains and obstacles I’m experiencing”. It helps me flip a negative into a positive and stay enthusiastic when I feel a little run down or neglected.
Pray for a little while for the virtue of Fortitude. It may help.
Oh well. I’ve said too much again. Forgive me if I offend. I don’t mean to. God bless and hang in there. Life leads to Heaven, not easy retirement.
Glenda
A
anytimequilter
Guest
My question always is… and will continue to be… how do we know if I am doing God’s will? I am always stunned by people who seem to be so confident that they are doing God’s will. Completely I will be happy to do God’s will… but its not that clear to me. I have thrown up my hands over and over again and said “You Win! Take Over!” but its not that easy
H
HCTC
Guest
I reflect regularly on whether or not I am being an attentive servant. Everyday I ask God to make me an instrument of His will; His peace. If in my endeavors it seems as if I am banging my head against a wall, I remember Psalms 127:
Unless the LORD build the house,
they labor in vain who build.
Unless the LORD guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep watch.
Then I step back and stop efforting… Miraculously, a way forward or a way back becomes evident - usually when I am saying my morning prayers. I believe miracles are all around us.
M
Mystical_Seeker
Guest
Yes, people like to say “it was God’s will” or “I was called” or whatever.
For me, God’s will is that I grow in love and ability to produce fruit of the spirit, to accept the gift of Christ’s peace by renouncing myself, whatever that means, and taking up my cross, whatever that means.
The “true” law is written in our hearts. The more we trust our hearts and allow our heads to quit fighting things we know are right, I think this helps develop this way of living and thinking that psychologists call “flow” and seems to me what Jesus calls “the kingdom.”
Kind of like when a mother knows her baby is hungry, she feeds it. She doesn’t need a theologian or philosopher or doctor to explain whether she should feed it. I did think it was funny that each time we had a baby, they gave us different advice about whether they should be fed on schedule, or upon demand.
Society and culture, including our religion, have collectively confused us to where we are in a constant state of second-guessing ourselves. Because we think we are supposed to do it a certain way and be able to figure it out, because we are socialized to believe that “failure” is a Bad Thing, rather than evidence of someone who is willing to try something new. Plus when we do make a decision we feel we have to be able to justify it to ourselves and others so we aren’t even at peace with our past actions.
It’s almost to the point of superstition; step on a crack and break my mother’s back. This is the stuff that needs to give way, and letting go of our need to calculate things that would be intuitively obvious to the sensitive heart that doesn’t have to answer in everything it believes, to a calculating mind.
A
Anglewannabe
Guest
I can relate a lot to what you are saying. My question is, after throwing up your hands and saying ‘You win’, then what? Does God actually show you what His will is?
A
anytimequilter
Guest
By Faith and my in my heart I will say that God is directing me. As I pray and work to make decisions, I feel that He is directing me. I do believe that as much as I struggle, I am better off now than what I would be if I didn’t pray at all.
To the point that I was making, I don’t really feel like I receive “messages from God”. I still feel as though I am struggling on my own. Which can be frustrating when there is a big problem and someone else spouts out “I do what God tells me to do”… I mean really do they get an email?
I believe - or at least I hope - that we are all doing the same thing, perhaps some are better at “listening” or understanding than others. (I hate to think that I am the one left out anyway)
I have a few keys that I filter my decisions on… If what I am doing will harm someone - then I keep looking for another solution. Will my decision pull me away from God? If its going to pull me away from God then I know its nothing he would want me to do. What would my kids, mom or grandma think of my decision? Sounds silly, but if I have to keep something from my kids (because I don’t want them to do it themselves) then maybe I shouldn’t be doing it.
J
jc4751
Guest
Because modern society teaches the notion that any deference to someone or something is to be avoided at all costs. In turn surrendering to God is in direct contradiction to this notion, because we are admitting that we cannot control all the circumstances of our life, and that there is something greater than us.
As for your second question, Jesus has already revealed God’s will is – first to love God with all our being, and second to treat others as we wish to be treated. It is such a simple thing, and very powerful.
S
St_Francis
Guest
You can still strive for a successful career–in fact, this is why God gave you these gifts! But when we strive, we leave the results up to God. We don’t moan and groan because the results are not to our liking: we trust that the results are to God’s liking and part of His plan.
Consider Christ on the cross. What were His first words there?
“Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”
Christ was most certainly well aware of the respect that was due to Him! And He had more right than any human who ever existed to expect others to treat Him with respect! And yet, His *first thought *was to ask God to forgive those men who killed Him.
Consider the words of the Our Father: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” How do we want others to forgive us? Do we want them to cower in fear when we come around, or to say, “Hey, I forgive you, but you really hurt my feelings with what you said.” Or impose a just penance so they have a better chance of attaining Heaven. Just because a business owner has forgiven the employee who stole from him doesn’t mean he has to hire the guy back!
*We *are not the bad guys when someone is rude to us or hurts us. Deliberately holding back forgiveness is *another *bad thing that is happening, on our part. We have a right to be treated with respect, but sometimes that is not what is going to happen and sometimes our expectation will be unrealistic–I have a young teenage son, believe me, I know!
- Status