Images by Beautiful Light Photography
Have you ever noticed that we only want change whenever we’re not satisfied with our situation? We always wish that the traffic could go faster, try to fix the flaws in the people closest to us, and endure daily grinds that leave us exhausted in the end. Now I want you to imagine the worst thing you’ve ever gone through in your life. How it seemed like you would never get out of that bad situation. Maybe you’re still in that dark place and see no way out. Guess what. God’s mercy is that light at the end of the tunnel.
“The Lord’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent.” God is infinite in His compassion, goodness, and mercy. No matter how dark or hard or impossible a situation may seem, all things change and fade away eventually. “There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted-it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I myself take care of it.” (Diary 1273)
The year after I finished college was the hardest year of my life. I went from four years of falling in love with my faith, to losing that safety net without a job or friends to talk to. I spent a lot of time on the internet, waiting for some big life-changing event to make everything better. I suffered from constant anxiety attacks, crying myself to sleep, and had nights were I couldn’t sleep at all. It took two whole years for me to finally find solid ground again, and getting there wasn’t easy.
But throughout it all I prayed. I prayed that God would lead me out of that dark place. And slowly, but surely, things got better. I went to retreats, started volunteering at my parish as a Catechist, spent more time with my family, and eventually made some new friends. I still feel like I have a long way to go before I feel like I’ve achieved some measurement of success, but God took the pieces of my broken heart and put them all back together.
Listen to Josh Wilson’s “Before the Morning.” The song based on Romans 8:18 “I consider that the sufferings of the present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Let’s pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet today and offer up whatever hardships we’re going through right now or some trauma in the past that we haven’t healed from completely. He will hide us within His wounds and give us healing. It may not come right away, but believe me when I say that it will come.
