Our attitudes can imprison us or enable us to enjoy lives of gratitude and peace. We must give thanks in all things if not necessarily for all things. Not easy. I didn’t jump up and down in joyful gratitude after my divorce or after I lost my job. But I have learned so much through those tough times, and I have learned that always, God is there holding me together.
I’ve learned more from those messy, painful times than from any successes. I’ve learned to be more gentle with myself and thus with others, to respond better to life’s unpredictable paths. I’ve learned that I can always find something to savor. My wounds and tears have softened me. When I expect to see the beauty in God’s messiness, when I expect to experience God’s presence amid my tough times, my eyes and heart are open so that I do see and experience life with more hope.
This message is excerpted from “(Un)predictable paths” by Sonia Solomonson in the May 2015 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Monica, mother of Augustine, 387.
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