Mothers Group Reflection #45: If You Want to Find Love, Put Love

"Where there is no love, put love - and you will find love."

- St. John of the Cross

At the beginning of the week, a friend surprised me with an amazing gift. It was exactly what I needed in that very moment. I had been deeply grieved at the loss of Church community, the sacraments, seeing friends face-to-face. I had had to stop by church for an emergency errand, and as I stepped out of my car, I just stood there, crying. I silently wondered if this is our future, if we don't begin to bring our faith back into the public square. And, yet, a friend saw a need in my life and met it in a big way in the midst of this pain. But this wasn't the only time this happened.

I got a call from another friend on Wednesday, just to check on me. I had been meaning to call her for a day or two to check on her. And she was already praying for the very thing my family needed, something very specific, that I had not voiced to a single soul, including her. It was a cry deep in my heart, and she put a voice to it. And this isn't the first time she has done this. There is a history there. But there's more...

I made a quick trip to the grocery store on Thursday night for essentials. As I was walking down the ice cream isle I saw something I had been wanting to try for quite some time, but since my family doesn't like that flavor, I haven't bought it before, because I am usually thinking more practically. And on this very night, I was more concerned about the amount of room in my freezer and I wanted to save room for what we actually needed.

The next day, while I was teaching the kids how to bake at home, my doorbell rang. I thought about ignoring it, and slowly meandered toward the door. At a quick glance, I saw what looked like a salesperson through the window. I opened the door, ready to find any excuse to quickly close it again, and there stood another friend on my porch, with a bag of "essentials" for our family. This bag contained the very ice cream treat, in the exact flavor I had wanted, and there just happened to be just enough room in my freezer, after I had taken care of my family's needs. It was just a quick "delivery" from the hand of God, and no one but God knew about that desire (or flavor).

He sees all. He knows all. And as He is reminding me time after time after time again lately, He sees even every tiny little desire of my heart, and nothing escapes His time and attention. But more than that, right now, we find ourselves in a time of social distancing that feels more like isolation. Yet, we have an incredible opportunity before us. We have the opportunity to step back from the normal flow of life and to encounter the Holy Spirit in new ways, maybe ways we never have before. And if we're sensitive to His workings, the results can be nothing short of miraculous, no matter how small the result may be.

God is reminding me that when I put my concerns into His hands, and just do the next right thing, He is already several steps ahead of me, and taking care of my own needs and desires. And we have a unique opportunity to be part of that chain of supply and demand. We can enter into His work by helping others to shoulder their own burdens right now, by anticipating their own needs and desires as well, and by listening to those little promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Our world has been so starved for love, looking in all the wrong places and for surface things, which can never fill that desperate void. It can feel overwhelming to know how to address that great need. But I am reminded of my wedding day, when our pastor said that, in marriage, when we face things together, our joys will be multiplied and our sorrows will be halved. Although we may find ourselves really separated right now, in some ways, we are closer than ever, when we find each other again in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and listen to His promptings. 

In closing, I love the quote from St. John of the Cross, "Where there is no love, put love - and you will find love." I think right now we have an opportunity to step back and reassess our lives and to look for those places and ways in which to impact our world and to fill it with the love of Christ. Because that is the very thing our world desperately needs most. People are stock-piling toilet paper and other essentials, but what they are really doing is looking for security and something to cling to and control when everything else is falling apart. If we find these places and people where love is lacking, the way to restore it is to put it there. And slowly but surely, we will begin to find love there, too.

Questions for further reflection:
What is one need you are aware of at this moment that you can meet in the life of another? Do you feel that God is calling you to lay aside others' expectations and to focus more on your own family or do you feel Him leading you more into the public square? Consider taking this to prayer this week and asking for the ability to see life through the eyes of Jesus and for the strength and creativity to meet those needs that He reveals around you, whether within or outside of your own household.

Verse for the week:
"Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 NRSVCE



Photo Credit: NordWood Themes, StockSnap.io