Limitless Mentality

“Never put a lid on God. You can’t give God a thimble and ask for a quart. It won’t work. Your plans, your projects, your dreams have to always be bigger than you, so that God has room to operate.” - Mother Angelica from the book Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality.

Playing it safe, it is the most common mentality in order to navigate life without much discomfort. I really don’t know how or why some of us are so afraid to step out in faith. In the past people didn’t have much and in reality they had way more than we do now. They lived simply and work the land with their own hands, it was hard work and many times they gathered their food on a daily basis. There was no way to store food for a long period of time so they learned to get things as they needed, nothing more. Everyone in the family was expected to lend a helping hand and -unlike now- they did it without expecting to get paid for it, it was something they did because they were part of the family. They had to rely on faith and hard work trusting that they would have what they needed.

(Entrance to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament - built on Faith)

When it comes to God there are no limits on what He can do through us. I’ve seen it with my own eyes on the things He accomplished through Mother Angelica, and yet I’m afraid to step out in faith. “Pagan” she called a loan officer once for not lending her money based on faith. She had no assets and didn’t know what her income was going to be until the end of the month. We have been conditioned to work on “sure” ground, on security, on things we can see and touch.

The other day we had a customer worried about submitting a claim to her insurance company in order to do a repair in her house. Her fear was on the increase of her policy if she submitted the claim, now I just wondered, why in the world do we need to have insurance for everything if when the time to make a claim comes we are afraid to claim what we are entitled to? We spend millions of dollars over our lifetime to insure everything we possess and yet we are afraid to claim a portion of it back. What does insurance provides us? In this case absolutely nothing other than to make us part from our hard earn money in exchange for some “security.”

Having a limitless mentality is not stopping to think of what we can do, but on what God can do instead. We are a vessel and only when we allow to be used by Him are we able to do the great things He had in mind for us. They key to limitless is to tap to the source and open ourselves to the possibilities.

I really don’t know why am I writing on this topic today, all I know is that somehow those lines I quoted at the beginning jumped at me while reading the book this morning. I keep waiting to move forward in my life but at the moment I feel frozen in time, afraid of what might come next. I know I should have faith, the one I used to have years ago but that in many ways I’ve lost. I need to get it back; faith that things will get better, that nothing will last forever, that I can do anything through Him if only I tune in to His will in my life at this moment and that my dreams are His way of saying to go on, that there is so much more to be achieved and accomplished in my life.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

In Time You Find the Way

I almost forgot about this song, it helps me when I don’t feel good. Whenenver I am not in the present moment and think on the past or the future I lose my balance, everytime I do I feel terrible. I noticed other people experience the same. Some panic on things not working out just the way they want to and flee instead, leaving behind hopes and dreams.

The phrase “in time you find the way” reminds me that; nothing ever stays the same, not to act when my mind is not clear and my heart in pain, and love prevails. I’m very emotional right now even though I try hard to hide it, my emotions drain me many times. I hate it but that’s the way I am.

Tonight I’ll sing this song a few times and my heart and mind will go on ease, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and I will get to smile again.

Oprah’s Church? What Do You Believe?

Oprah has been for me a person who demonstrated that we can accomplish a lot in life, even against the odds. I watch her show every week and I’m a subscriber of her monthly magazine, but one thing I’ve learned in life is to KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE. I won’t judge her because she is acting according to what she knows about her faith at this point, only God has the right to judge on this matter. There is a lot of different teachings, faiths, beliefs out there and we can’t blame this or the other for the loss of our faith. When life doesn’t go exactly as we thought it should we can’t blame the media, books, people, music etc. Yes, the media have a tremendous influence in our way of thinking but it is ultimately US who by our ignorance are driven into situations of this magnitude.

When I heard the announcement for this class something told me it wasn’t right. I tried to listen to the first class but technical difficulties didn’t let me finish it. I thought about listening to it later after it was posted on her site. Then I went to the store and saw the book displayed and stop to look through it, I could tell right away it didn’t go with my Christian belief. By reading a blog review of the book I found out it had Budhist ideas integrated into it, called it Budhism 101 written into a more easy to understand terms.

I’m not trying to condone the bad influence some communication mediums are doing to believers in general but what I would like to do is put responsability back on the shoulders of those who know about Jesus and what he is about. He came personally to teach us how to live and how to gain eternal life, if we choose to believe something else or listen to others than the witnesses of his teachings we are entitled to do so, but we are also entitled to the consequences.

As Christians what we are called to do is to continue to grow in the knowledge of our faith and share it with others. Each individual in turn will respond to the message or not. It is our responsability to share it to the best of our ability and move on, but we are also called to defend it. We can’t force anyone to believe on what we believe but we have the right to hold fast to our faith.

I believe that many people are driving to all of this kind of thinking because their spirit is hungry. We have starved our spiritual life to such a degree that we don’t even know what it is anymore. My belief is that we were created by God and that is who our soul yearns for. If we only take care of our body and not the soul sooner or later we feel that something is missing and it is.

Faith is a personal choice and we are ultimately responsible for our own life and what we do with it. All we can do is live it to best of our knowledge and ability, expose our belief along the way and guide those who are willing to listen.

We need to pick our battles and this one is one we need to trust God to conquer with the life of Christians as testimony. What’s your opinion?

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Straight to the Heart

The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart. –Maya Angelou

Way before we can touch anyone’s heart we need to be able to touch our own, buried many times under life everyday pressures, responsabilities, goals and dreams. Taking time everyday to see where you are; physically, mentally and spiritually is important in order to mantain a balance. I know by experience how life can get far away from our intended vision, we drift to so many activities that has nothing to do with the path we wanted to travel that sometimes we find ourselves lost. As a woman we many times tend to give way more than we receive and then we forget to nurture ourselves in order not to let our well run dry. It is a difficult task to keep ourselves in the picture of our life and yet if we don’t it comes a point when we feel we have ceased to exist. Yes, we are here physically but our essence, our uniqueness, our gifts and talents have been pushed to the side in order to provide support and nourishment to the inmediate need at hand.

Perhaps that is what we are called to do at a certain stage of our life but then comes a time for things to come. Coming to terms to the realization is not easy for many people, especially to those around us, who only see it as a threat to their “balance” in life.

I guess the soul is not content until it is able to do what it was created to accomplish to begin with. There is a nagging sensation to move on and complete its mission.To become what it is on its own and then be shared with those we love. To be free to move around and do its work. Ultimately to be cherished and appreciated for what it is and not for what we pretend it to be.

Have you noticed how different dead people look from when they were alive? Their soul departs from the body and changes its complete outlook. I believe that to a point the same happen to us when we hindred our soul in any way. The more we suppress its nature and block its work the more it shows on the outside. My grandmother was a different person while my granfather was alive, she kept the necessary balance and peace by restraining her very soul, I believe. When he passed away she blossomed into a new creature, one I didn’t know. I was able to talk to her more and she was free to speak her mind. She even looked younger and lived many years enjoying her kids, grankids and great-grandkids. I called her the travelling grandma because every six months she was off somewhere to meet extended family members. I used to call and write to her frequently and let her know how much I loved her. One thing she never did was complain about any physical illness even if she had it, only my aunt who lived with her would know about it but only when it got too hard for her to handle.

I’m reaching deep within right now, hoping to have something to offer those around me. I want it to be pure, sincere and full of emotion. It will be the only way to let the grace flow and let a beautiful transformation take place. I’ve done as much as I can for now but there are new tasks, new goals, new vision and the great call to my personal mission whatever that might be. I know in time it will be revealed to me and only then I will be able to go straight to the heart.

Reality Check

“It’s been real……” a popular phrase and today is holding so much meaning. I want to be real, and to a point I have been, but this is the time I’m called to open up even more in order to grow. The first person I want to reach is myself, digging deep within allows me to know and understand what I’m all about, hence I become more real to those around me. It is in this state of mind where I come to see further than I have seen before.

A Sure Way to Grow

“Our trials, our sorrows, and our grieves develop us.” –Orison Sweet Marden

I remember a time when I wanted to be older, I envisioned it to be my ticket to freedom in order to do what I wanted to do, finally! How ironic, as time went by I realized that freedom is not to be able to do what I want to do but what I ought to do. Sometimes we ignore what we need to do in order to fulfill our earthly mission but we are soon reminded in the most uncomfortable ways; trials, sorrows, grief, sickness, etc. Unless we are shaken we would never stop to look deep within in order to find answers to our challenges. Most of us like to enjoy life without having to deal with pain and sorrow but it is in that pain and sorrow that our true self is revealed maybe for the first time even to us. In most cases is not a pretty picture, it is our being torned by past experiences, wounded, weak, sensitive to the most minimal criticism from those around us. It is not who we want to be or who we are at the moment but somehow others can’t forget our past.

As we enter dark moments in our life we are forced to be guided by others things other than our regular vision. Our emotions, our instincts, our faith and our soul needs to come into play in order to find a way out of our immediate misery. Accustomed to live on the flesh disregarding the soul will make this experience difficult. Trying to get away from the dark quick will also produce painful sensations since our whole being is calling us to experience and change at a certain level before we step away from it transformed. Like I mentioned before changes are not easy to make specially when we are uncertained of the outcome, that’s where faith comes in. Trusting that our trial has a reason for being and a purpose for our life and well being.

Truth has a way to make itself known. Inner peace is only achieved through a balance within, it is the satisfaction to know that our intention and our purpose is fully aligned to our individual persona. We can’t live our life under someone’s goals, values and intentions. Personal growth is an individual process calling us to put everything and everyone aside in order to be true to our self and our destiny. Failing to become individuals we slowly extinguished the very light we are called to let shine for the world to see. If we cover it, nobody will know it existed. One of the most painful experiences is to know that we are unknown to those around us, they are quick to see our faults and not our virtues. Another painful experience is to have hidden our individuality so well from those around us -in order not to disturb their life- than when it finally emerges it is rejected and their love and support is withdrawn from us.

I wonder what life would be if we decide to stay forever in our dark night just to keep the peace of those around us while the war continues inside of us. I don’t believe is possible to deny what it clamors for; transformation. To negate to go beyond what we know for sure is only denying the great possibilities God has in store for us.

I Kissed the Crown of Thorns

And then came the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday, they brought over the big crucifix with Christ on it and the altar servers held it for the faithful to come forward. As I walked up I was thinking which part I would kiss and I remembered many years before in Puerto Rico looking for a statue of Christ wearing his crown of thorns. I wanted a really nice one but didn’t have much money so after walking all over Old San Juan from store to store I found one I could afford; one skilfully carved on wood.

I walked up and put my lips on the crown of thorns, so fitting to the way I’ve been feeling. Those thorns not only cut his forehead but went through his skull and touched his brain, how painful that must have been. And here I am and the whole congregation and I’m sure that a lot of us sitll contribute to that pain today. Many of us are going through some kind of physical, emotional or spiritual pain. I walked back to my pew and when kneeled I felt my heavy heart just to remember that He loves me no matter what and will continue to do so.

Tomorrow will be a happy day, we will remember the Resurrection and be reminded that right after a very painful moment there is always hope. In order to appreciate joy we must first experience sorrow.

Happy Easter my dear friends, may you feel JOY in your heart.