Month: January 2023

May You Be Blessed Forever, Lord

A prayer by St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for not abandoning me when I abandon you.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for offering your hand of love in my darkest, most lonely moment.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for putting up with such a stubborn soul as mine.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for loving me more than I love myself.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for continuing to pour out your blessings upon me, even though I respond so poorly.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for drawing out the goodness in all people, even including me.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for repaying our sin with your love.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for being constant and unchanging, amidst all the changes of the world.

May you be blessed forever, Lord, for your countless blessings on me and on all your creatures.

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

The prayers of St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Boundaries

I was not someone who is good at setting boundaries; I would bend them at my friends’ plea or persuasion. Inwardly, I would feel resentful because I was afraid to say “no” to the things I wasn’t interested to do. 

As I grew older, I began to appreciate the beauty and the necessity of having boundaries. 

Dr Brene Brown defines boundaries as, “what is okay and what is not okay.” 

She says we can make clear what our boundaries are while still being loving and generous.

If we are not sure what boundaries to set, she probes us the BIG question: “What boundaries need to be in place for me to maintain my integrity and make the most generous assumptions about you?”

Dr Brown also said, “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” 

Boundaries teaches others how to treat us. Rather than harbouring resentment when we are too shy to say “no”, boundaries tell others where we stand. We can have boundaries and yet still be loving.

What is the Good News?

The Gospel in a Nutshell

What is the “Good News” or the “Gospel”? The “Good News” or the “Gospel” refers to the same thing.

Apostle Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures “ (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

The Gospel is this: Sin has separated us from God. God loves us and wants to save us from sins. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ, who was without sins, to die on the Cross for us. The blood of Jesus washed away our sins. Nothing else can do that.   

Jesus had paid the price of our sins —with His own life.

In our sinfulness, we are rebelling against God. We reject Him as our God. But Jesus died on the Cross to reconcile us with God.

Three days later, by the power of God, Jesus rose from the dead. He is in Heaven now, preparing a place for us so that when we leave this world, we will be with Him in Heaven.

This is the Good News: no one is so bad and so unlovable that God can not save.