it is well;

My name is Amy, I love Jesus, nature and fur babies // Daughter of a king 🙌🏻// "let your light so shine before men, that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." -Matthew 5:16

[tealcheesecake]

[taking-care-of-you]

(Credit: unknown)

[wiirocku]

Galatians 4:5 (NLT) - God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children.

[thesovereignword]

Psalm 16:11

[upliftourday]

[worshipgifs]

[cenestpasaudrey]

Psyching myself up for the week

[gratitudechangesthings-deactiva]

“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

— Jesus, Matthew 15:8-9

[worshipgifs]

[takeheartdaughter]

[faithprayers]

Psalm 55:22

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[satisfactiions]

[studentlifeproblems]

[ohjessmarie]

[acatholicrose]

[momentsbeforemass]

But first…

Have you ever wanted to be frustrated with God?

Have you ever wanted to feel like your prayers are a waste of time?

Of course not. No one does. And yet, just about all of us set ourselves up to be frustrated with God.

It happens when we set preconditions on God. When we tell God how He has to do things. When we do, we’re not changing God one bit.

What we are doing is changing ourselves. Locking ourselves into our wisdom, what we think is best, our ideas. Getting our vanity tied up with how things have to be done.

Meaning that if God does anything other that exactly how we see things happening? We’re not able to receive it. Even if it’s better. Because it’s not how we think it has to happen.

And you’re thinking, “That ridiculous, no one does that.”

You’re right. Because just about no one sets out to put preconditions on God.

And yet, this is still a problem. Because just about all of us do put preconditions on God. We just do it in much more subtle ways.

Like what we see in today’s Gospel.

Where the response to Jesus isn’t an outright “no.” But it isn’t exactly a “yes” either.

It’s more of “let me take of this other thing, then I’ll get to you Jesus.”

Where, maybe without really meaning to, Jesus gets put in second place. Or maybe third or fourth.

Because they’re just so caught up in themselves and what they’re doing. That Jesus has to take a number. And wait His turn.

A point that’s so beautifully captured in the first two words of one man’s response to Jesus – “But first…”

Once we’re at that point, it’s a very short step (really, more of an unavoidable slide). From expecting someone who we (in our own minds) have already made wait on us. To do things our way.

Which is a great way to set ourselves up not only to be disappointed in God. When God doesn’t do things our way.

But to miss God’s best for our lives. Because we’re so stuck in our own ideas about how things have to be, that we miss it when God gives us better than we could ever imagine.

Today’s Readings