Under my own stream

By Sarah, a nose flautist who lives in Maryland, in Ora et Labora

Now, who on earth is ever going to say to God, "No, Lord, let me do it?" Uff da! The thought!

However, we are all at fault for behaving that way to God one time or another. If it's habitual, there is really a problem. I am writing these words for all of us to think about how we treat The One (God, not Obama, duh!) Who gave us everything.

In reading the reflection in In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez (volume 2) for the second week of Easter - Friday, I stumbled across another nugget of wisdom. Let's visit the passage from Acts 5:38-39. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!

This clearly means: God wins. You better pick your side.

Then the reflection talks about the five loaves and the five thousand being fed. The Lord asks us to give to Him what we have. It may be very little, it may be more than others, but to give it is the work needed to generate His power. We can hand him the little we have (five loaves, our daily life, simple prayer, suffering in silence . . . ) as He is counting on us to will it into His service for the blessings to occur. The whole premise is to not wait until you have means or not, but to do something and give something. God can do wondrous things with nothing (the nothingness of our being - even if we feel our nothingness is meaningless, it is not). Our nothing is our surrender and surrendering is a big gift of trust and faith.

St. Josemaria Escriva (from Furrow, 123): Do you see? With him you could do it. Why are you surprised? Be convinced: there is nothing to be surprised about. If you trust in God - really trust - things work out easily. And, what is more, you always go further than you imagined you could.

It is good and right that you should work things out . . . but put God first in the equation. You can count on being blessed.