Tag Archives: love

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Help Me to Forgive

March 12, 2023 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

God of Love, God of Mercy,

Help me to forgive.

I have been wronged; I have been hurt.

I feel angry and bitter.

Help me to forgive.

God of Love, God of Mercy

Help me to forgive.

Not only are you the God of Love and the God of Mercy;

You are also the God of Truth and the God of Justice.

Help me to forgive.

God of Truth, God of Justice

I put this matter into Your hands.

Only YOU can see into people’s hearts.

Only YOU know the entire Truth.

Help me to forgive.

God of Love, God of Mercy

lift my anger, lift my bitterness.

Replace it with compassion.

Replace it with trust in YOU.

Help me to forgive.

God of Truth, God of Justice

lead all souls to repentance.

Help me to forgive.

as I ask to be forgiven by You

for all I have done wrong.

Grant all who seek YOU with a sincere heart…

Forgiveness, Peace, Love, Mercy and Trust in YOU.

AMEN

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

By the Power of Your Grace

Grace is the presence of God’s presence!

Guide me Lord,

May Thy will be done.

I feel confused and lost.

I need FAITH.

Lift my anxiety Lord…

Grant me FAITH.

By the Power of Your Grace.

The world is chaotic, Lord.

Help me to see Your face.

Especially in dark and trying times, Lord

I want to trust in You.

Grant me Hope…

By the Power of Your Grace.

Perhaps I am anxious

because I need to ask

for Your forgiveness.

You are Love.

You are Mercy.

Grant me your Love and Mercy Lord…

By the Power of Your Grace.

FAITH, HOPE and LOVE

All three do I need.

I hear You say..

“Be not afraid!”

Heal my heart, Lord

that I may do Thy will always.

Grant that I may

grow old gracefully…

By the Power of Your Grace.

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

By the Power of Your Grace

October 19, 2022 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

By the Power of Your Grace

Grace is the presence of God’s presence!

Guide me Lord,

May Thy will be done.

I feel confused and lost.

I need FAITH.

Lift my anxiety Lord…

Grant me FAITH.

By the Power of Your Grace.

The world is chaotic, Lord.

Help me to see Your face.

Especially in dark and trying times, Lord

I want to trust in You.

Grant me Hope…

By the Power of Your Grace.

Perhaps I am anxious

because I need to ask

for Your forgiveness.

You are Love.

You are Mercy.

Grant me your Love and Mercy Lord…

By the Power of Your Grace.

FAITH, HOPE and LOVE

All three do I need.

I hear You say..

“Be not afraid!”

Heal my heart, Lord

that I may do Thy will always.

Grant that I may

grow old gracefully…

By the Power of Your Grace.

Faith

Advent: The Season of Waiting

Quote November 27, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The period of four weeks before Christmas is called Advent. It is a period of anticipation and hope. In today’s culture it is a busy time, filled with shopping and socializing. However, in ages past, it was a quiet and sacred time of prayer and waiting… anticipating the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflecting on the birth of Jesus, we look with hope to our salvation. Jesus was born of Mary. He became man to redeem us. By the cross, we are saved from our sins and have the hope of eternal life. What a tremendous mystery! How can a little baby be both human and divine?

The omnipotence of God is shown by his humbling himself and becoming a man. His humble beginnings, being born in a manger, tells us of his connection to the poor and lowly. He was not the type of king the Jewish people were expecting. The kingdom of God is an important thing to reflect on during the Christmas Season. Are we trying to follow the teachings of Jesus…to love not only our neighbor but our enemies? Are we helping the poor and downtrodden?

God is love. When we look at a little baby it is easy to define love. However, we need to be loving our neighbor at all times. Celebrating the incarnation (God becoming Man) this year, let’s try not to lose sight of the spiritual nature of Christmas. Waiting helps us to slow down. Hopefully, we will be spending time in prayer… sharing with God our hopes, difficulties, fears and love.

A soul enkindled with love is a gentle, meek, humble, and patient soul.

Quote of St. John of the Cross

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Faith, Spirituality

Forgiveness and Trust

July 2, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

Sacred Heart of Jesus Public Domain Image — Sacred Heart of Jesus

Are forgiveness and trust the same thing? Jesus tells us the following:

“Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs”. (Matthew 5:7)

Love and pray for your enemies.(Matthew 5:44)

Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

Where does trust come into the picture?

In Psalm 118:8 we learn the following:

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. “

The word trust means….to rely on. Are we supposed to rely on our enemies? I think not. However, we are to forgive them and treat them with love.

To forgive means…to cancel a debt. This is not the same as trust. We are also told to pray for our enemies. This means we don’t curse them or wish evil on them. We ask God to guide them (and us).

It is easier to forgive a person who has asked for forgiveness; however it is also important to forgive someone who has not asked us for forgiveness. This means we put the matter in God’s hands and we trust God.

“Hate the sin not the sinner.”

(Quote of St. Augustine)

This is how we can make a judgment against certain behaviors, without condemning the sinner. Only God knows a person’s heart. Perhaps the person has repented. By praying for someone who has wronged us, we release resentment and increase the love in our lives.

God is love. We need to rely on God (trust Him) to guide us through the emotional journey of forgiving our enemies. We trust God that in the end justice will be His.

Loving our enemies means to treat those who have wronged us with love and mercy. However, it is God alone we rely on. It is through prayer that we are led by God. Turning the other cheek simply means we don’t fight back. We don’t seek revenge. We actually pray for the welfare of the person who has wronged us.

Love and forgiveness go together. However, trust is connected to wisdom and understanding. Through prayer God leads us in wisdom, helping us to understand and discern who we should or should not trust.

Wisdom is turning to God for guidance. When we lack wisdom we should seek it (James 1:5)

It is only through praying that we can be led to the will of God. If we pray without ceasing, we will have the prudence to do God’s will.

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The Mystery of Faith

Tag Archives: love

Help Me to Forgive

By the Power of Your Grace

By the Power of Your Grace

By the Power of Your Grace

By the Power of Your Grace

Advent: The Season of Waiting

Forgiveness and Trust

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism