Steady as a rock
Have you ever had one of those days where you are just overwhelmed with life? The reality is that we live in a stressful world (no surprise there), but Christ calls us to be not afraid. God has not called us to live in fear, but to lean into him for real peace, strength, and identity as our firm foundation.
Have you ever had one of those days where you are just overwhelmed with life? The reality is that we live in a stressful world (no surprise there), but Christ calls us to be not afraid. God has not called us to live in fear, but to lean into him for real peace, strength, and identity as our firm foundation.
Built on rock
In the seventh chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says that life brings floods, strong winds and rain. Maybe these are literal floods, or floods of anxiety, stress and noise. Christ goes on to say that those who listen to him are like those who build houses upon solid rock. Even when the floods come, the rains fall, and winds blow, those who listen to him are secure and steady and don’t sink or get carried away by the storms.
In the midst of responsibilities with school, work, sports and relationships, the real time we spend in the quiet, listening to the Lord, sets us on a solid foundation of peace.
A dialogue
Prayer is a conversation, a dialogue, with the God who created you. That means when you bring your daily joys, stresses and fears to him, he listens! He cares about your daily struggles and burdens. He sees it all. This call to a daily dialogue also means the God who created you longs to give you a mission and reveal to you who you are truly meant to be. So take a breath, be still with the Lord, and remember that he loves you as his child. He will reveal his plan for you to live life to its absolute fullest in and through him.
The greatest thing
To build our lives on this solid rock we are invited to concretely plan and schedule time for prayer. While it may initially feel unproductive, this is the most valuable thing we can do because we are spending real time with the Father. God gives us real peace that isn’t of this world. God’s promised peace for us isn’t a lack of stress in our lives, but rather an endless well of support and love from the Father. Anytime we enter into prayer, silence, worship, Scripture or the sacraments, we are confronted with the reality of how good our Lord is, as he loves us in abundance and promises our absolute good.
Share what you got
The peace of our Father strengthens us, helps us to grow in knowledge and patience, and gives us comfort in times of stress and suffering. This all begins when we slow down, breathe and invite him in through prayer. Prayer also allows us to truly hear God’s voice and to understand with clarity where he wants to move and act in our lives. When we experience true peace built on a firm foundation, we can’t help but share this with others.
Adam Cross is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California, and he worked as a youth minister at his local parish for 8 years. Adam loves to integrate the Catholic faith into his therapy practice.
