Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away, God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
I found these words in a Catholic magazine that I was reading while on retreat. I have seen these words before, but at this particular moment in time, something was different.
Too often in my life, I have let those petty little things “get to me.” So much so, that it manifests within me and changes my physical being. For example, I often won’t be able to sleep at night or I experience severe internal stomach issues. Many times, as much as I hate to admit it, my moods seem to frequently shift throughout the day. Thankfully, I’m not experiencing any of these symptoms while on my retreat, but the above words immediately took me back to all of those times when I have lived these symptoms. And now, as I reflect on these words, I realize the absurdity of my actions and behavior.
Why do I allow these things that are out of my control to ultimately take control of me? Why should I get disturbed over situations that arise that, when you really think about it, just come and go? And the patience thing? Oh my, this is a huge one for me. Every morning I pray for patience to get me through the day. (When they were passing out patience at the beginning of my life, I must not have been paying attention – or I was distracted by a shiny, fancy guitar.) But for whatever reason, these words really touched my heart today.
With all the things that are happening in our lives such as work, home, family, etc. and the various tasks and responsibilities hitting us from all angles, isn’t it comforting to know that God never changes? It is an incredible feeling to be reassured that when we have God in our lives and have a personal, active relationship with him, that we have all that we need. We lack nothing because God alone suffices. If we change our mindset to think this way, we will be filled with an amazing sense of peace which nothing else in this world can provide.
Read these words at the start of each day and you will realize that God is right there with us giving us all that we need – and that’s all that really matters!
