“The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon divine grace.”
From my morning readings in “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence
Whatever our dreams lead us towards, the energy, the purity, the wisdom to achieve it can be ours through the gift of grace.
“All things are possible to him who believes, they are less difficult to him who hopes, they are easier to him who loves, and still more easy to him who practices and perseveres in these three virtues.”
From my morning readings in “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence
The Obligatory Votive Candles Shot, a photo by GlasgowAmateur on Flickr.
Belief lights a candle to see us through dark days.
Hope is a beacon calling us on.
Love is the sun rising out of the mists.
Perseverance lies in keeping our eyes peeled for the light.
“In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.“
From my morning readings in “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence
Contemplation, a photo by Bob Jagendorf on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Attribution License.
What strikes me most about Brother Lawrence’s approach is that it does not relegate our relationship with God to special times. Instead, it encourages me to keep my mind close to Him at all times, or at least as often as I can remember to.
“Those who are filled with the cares of this world he will teach to draw near to God,to ask from Him the grace to do their duty faithfully, never forgetting that they can approach God, when they are most busied, in the market, and where men do congregate, or in the hour of leisure.”
From my morning readings in “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence
100_6961, a photo by lavannya on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Attribution License.
What a wonderful concept, that we can approach God at any time, no matter what we are doing. We need not wait to commune with Him until Sundays, or our daily prayer time, or any other special time. We can check in as we go about our day’s work as well as our pleasures. He is always there, and always pleased to have us.
“… the littleness of the work lessened not one whit the value of the offering, for God regards not the greatness of the work, but the love which prompts it.”
From my morning readings in “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence
What I like about this quote is the emphasis on our love. Everything we do with our love for God is important, and God values it. We never need think “this is too trivial.” Every little thing matters, and lots of little things can matter more than one big one.
NeedlePrayer 