Where ever we go, we’re surrounded by the little profits that God has put in our lives to remind us of his power and his love for us. It’s easy to see this in nature when we can observe the beauty and magnificence of God’s design. Saints throughout the ages have written about this and it’s no wonder that we so often find retreat centers built on land that is spacious and filled with flowers, trees, ponds, and paths that wind their way through the gorgeous solitude.
It’s a bit more difficult to spot the little profits in our daily lives. Consider this little story of the saintly brother:
There was once a saintly brother who said his daily prayers but had little time at his disposal since he was busy in the kitchen cooking for the community day after day. Asked how he could cultivate union with God when he had so little time for spiritual reading he replied, “Look, here I have a very good teacher to whom I listen all day long! This glowing fire always speaks to me of the love of God — telling me never to let my love grow cold. In the morning when I light the fire, I ask God to allow me to remain always in the first fervor of my love for him. When the heat begins to die down I put some more wood on, saying a brief prayer for the thousand graces of which I stand in need, thinking of the fires of purgatory or hell. When the fire burns steadily I am aglow with the love of God. When the fire burns out at night I am then reminded of my own death.” When he had given them this explanation, his companions understood why he was considered such a saintly man. They realized that, in spite of the continual hard work in the kitchen, he remained constantly in the presence of God — listening to his voice.
God can speak to us through any means, whether it be a kitchen fire, a keyboard, or even a broken window. What if your son was throwing his baseball around and broke one of the windows on your house? Initially you might be a little miffed and perhaps you might need to discipline him.
But if you would pause for a moment, you might find that the broken glass of the window is a reminder of the brokenness of human nature and how easy it is for us to fall from God’s grace. Perhaps this would then urge you to pray for moral strength for your family or for the souls of the faithful departed. It might even remind you that God in his power and might could meld the glass of the window back together instantaneously should he desire to do so. He doesn’t, however, because he wishes us to be instruments in healing the brokenness on this earth.
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