I'm not perfect. Are you?

Dearest Ones,

"But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the heavenly prize." - St. Paul to the Phil. 3:13 - 14

If anyone had reason to regret his past life, it must have been St. Paul. He actually was responsible for murdering countless Christians, until the Lord spoke to him and he realized what he was doing. We can all spend time hating ourselves, regretting what we did in the past. Sometimes, I've made the mistake of feeling that because I am not perfect, God doesn't love me. If that was true, then God wouldn't love anybody, because nobody is perfect. When I think of the story in the Bible where the Good Shepherd leaves all the other 99 sheep and goes in search of the one poor little lamb who strayed away, I see how tender is the love Jesus has for each of us.

If we make mistakes and goof things up good, it is useless being miserable for any length of time. No matter what we may have done, we must move forward. We have to let go of the past, just like St. Paul says, and look to the future. We may not be able to forget the past, but we must get so busy helping others that we don't have time to think about the past.

God loves each one of us far more than we can ever imagine. When times are going well or when things are going bad, His love never changes. There is so much comfort in that. Your whole life will light up when you know in every fiber of your being that God is head-over-heels in love with you. He feels your every pain and heartache. He loves and He cares - He's not just watching - He's actively doing something about it, you may be sure.

We must pray and ask God our purpose on this earth. Each day brings us nearer and nearer to heaven. He made you for a definite reason. Sometimes, life throws us into situations that do not have God's love in it. If you have done everything requested of you and you have prayed over the situation countless times and still there are no results, then you have to do what is best for you. Prayer, sacrifice and love are what it takes.

As I go through the struggles of life, I find it hard that God seems so far away. I am temped to say that God doesn't really care about me or else He's just too busy. That just isn't true. I just need to go to Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor things present, nor things to come are able to separate me from the love of God."

Take courage. Do not fear. Start a new worry-free life tomorrow. Be not anxious. Why do you fret and worry so? God waits to give you everything lovely, but when we worry we prevent it from happening. You must be glad and joyful. There are road blocks to being happy. Lack of love is one of them. Love everybody. Those who cause you problems and those who do not. We must love, even when that love is not returned - otherwise, God can't live in us. Do all you can and leave the rest to Jesus. Peace will come and trust. Take some sweet time each morning, all by yourself, to lay your problems before the Lord and then abandon everything to Him. He knows all about them anyway, so there's no use pretending he does not. He wants to help - He's longing for you to trust Him. Trust, trust, trust. Never be afraid. A beautiful future lies before you!

In a race it is not the start that hurts, not even the long stretch. It is when the goal is in sight that the heart and nerves and courage and muscles are strained almost beyond human endurance, to the breaking point.

So with you now the goal is in sight. You need to keep praying - you need courage to believe you can finish. Remember that Jesus is by your side, spurring you on to victory. Life is like a race. There are times when we feel we just can't make it - and we can't - alone! Some in a race fail just when the goal is in sight. Don't be one of those. All of heaven is cheering you on. Believe it. It's true! Don't fprget, God loves you just the way you are!

See you in heaven at the end of the race!
Sister Francelle