‘Lifter Lines’ for Lenten soul-searching

I’m still in a reflective mood as everybody must be in this week of meditation when we all look closely not only at people around us but at ourselves – you know, where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going guided, hopefully, by the Great Leader.

A big help in my Lenten reflections is a deck of cards, as big as playing cards, given to me by Maribi Garcia who has compiled little gems of wisdom (some quoted from various sources and some she herself has coined) under the title Lifter Lines (Messages of Hope, Joy and Consolation).

Here are a dozen samples:
If sorrow be
too deep for
prayer.
Say not a
word.
He knows...
Just kneel at
His feet
and kneeling
there
Find holy sweet
repose.

* * *

God
always
keeps
His
promises.
Sometimes
He delays
but He
never,
never
forgets!
Trust Him!

* * *

My child,
It is when
There’s nothing
else
you can do...
That
everything
else
I will do.
TRUST ME!!

* * *

My Spiritual
Journey
To have found
GOD
is not the end
of my search
but only the
BEGINNING.

* * *

My child,
When you raise
your tear-filled eyes to me, on bended knees, in
all humility and
repentance, my heart
aches too and reaches
out to you,
with all my
love and compassion.
When you humble
yourself like this, with
all sincerity in your
heart, how can I say
"No" to whatever you
ask me, that will be
good for you?

* * *

"Come to me, all
you who labor and
are burdened, and
I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon
you and learn from me, for I am meek
and humble of
heart; and you will
find rest for your-selves. For my
yoke is easy, and
my burden light."
Matthew 11:28-30

* * *

My child,
My greatest
desire is to
see you happy.
Believe that
I want your
happiness far
more than you yourself
want it, and that I can and
will give you this
happiness you deserve.
Give Me
your heart and
your goodwill here on
earth, and your happiness
in this earthly life will
surpass your
dreams. Give
Me your mind
and your
soul. Listen to Me. Turn to
me in your
joy and sorrow.
I shall teach
you how to be
happy, how to gain TRUE
JOY and
CONTENTMENT.

* * *

God carefully
weighs each cross
we carry. he makes
sure it is one not
too light to make us
complacent in life,
nor one too heavy to
make us bitter,
helpless and
desperate.
God never gives
us a cross we
cannot handle... and
He is always there
to help us carry it.

* * *

Smiling Through Tears
It is easy enough to
be pleasant
When life flows by like a song.
But the man
worthwhile
is the one who will smile when
everything goes
dead wrong,
For the test of the heart is trouble.
And it always comes with the years.
But the smile
that is worth
The praises on earth
Is the smile
that shines
through
tears.

* * *

To surrender
is to place
ourselves in the
hands of God,
confident that God
knows better than
we what is
suitable for us,
and to believe that
we will receive
what we really
need, not on our
deceptive terms,
but rather,
according to the
wisdom of God.

* * *

My Child,
Cease your
struggle, know that
I am in charge.
For I know
well the
plans I have
for you... plans
for your
welfare not
for your
woe, plans
to bring
you a future
full of
hope. If you come
to Me, if you seek
Me, you
shall
find Me.

* * *

God’s call comes to us
in different
ways. He
extends His invitations of
love and touches us in
whatever way He thinks is
best for us.
Sometimes His call
comes through blessings
and answered prayers.
sometimes
when we have
become complacent and too
‘comfortable’ in worldly
terms, we may need to be
shaken and startled by a crisis. Sometimes when we
have become too burdened
by trials, we may need to be calmed; when we are
searching and questioning,
we may need to be soothed
and encouraged
as we wait
for our answers.