Do we thank God always?* No matter what is happening, do we trust God that all is going to work out in the end to be all right?
In a previous blog post I mentioned Samah, who is our guest here at the Catholic Worker House. Today Samah and I received good reminders of the need to give thanks to God always and to trust in God always. In the midst of what seemed like a predicament, we saw how the Providence of God works all things to the good of those who love Him.**
This morning I went to pick up a donation of food at one location and to drop off a donation of food at another place. Once I had returned home and had parked the van across the street from the Catholic Worker House, I was on the sidewalk about to open the side of the van to remove some food I had picked up for the house.
I looked up and saw Samah on the sidewalk waving to me. Now, typically when I'm out on the sidewalk and Samah and I see each other, she waves to me. However, today, when I first saw her, she was waving a bit insistently to me. At first I was puzzled over why she was waving so emphatically to me. I asked her if she had gotten locked out of the house. She replied that her car was at the gas station and wouldn't start. We walked together a few blocks to the gas station.
At her request, I tried starting the car so I could hear the sound it had been making when she had been trying to start it. Upon trying to start it, I told her that, with my limited knowledge of car mechanics, I wondered whether she needed a new starter given the sound it was making.
Then we pushed and steered the car as it was in neutral gear. Soon a young man, who had been hanging out in the park on the other side of the street, ran across the street and asked us if we wanted his assistance in moving the car. We gladly accepted his help, and he helped us push it to the gas pump.
Once we had gotten the car to the pump, we introduced ourselves to each other. He told me his name is Mario. He mentioned that he works in a Christian ministry which serves homeless folks. I was so glad to meet him! I enjoyed hearing about his ministry, since he serves some of the same persons who come to the Catholic Worker House for help. He told us that after we had put gas in it, if we needed his help again to push it away from the pump, we could call him back over to us from across the street.
Samah put five dollars in her gas tank. Then she tried again to start the car, but it wouldn't start. At some point, frustrated, she exclaimed, "I don't want this car!"
At some point while we were at the gas pump, I turned and saw that a man was in a car waiting to use the pump after Samah. I explained to him, "Her car wouldn't start, so we pushed it to the pump to see if it needed gas."
He replied, "I'll buy that car." As I stared at him in disbelief, he explained, "That's what I do. I buy cars."
I responded, "Great! Can we get your number?" He gave us his number, which made Samah very happy, as she was receiving contact information for someone who wanted to buy the car she didn't want to keep.
After we realized at the pump that the car wasn't going to start, I got Mario's attention from across the street. He came back over to us and helped us push the car out to the street, where Samah maneuvered it to the curb, where she parked. After expressing our gratitude yet again to Mario, Samah and I parted ways with him and began to walk home.
As we were walking home, I pointed out to Samah, "You see? You wanted to get rid of this car, and now you know of someone who will buy it." I said that when things seem to be going astray, God is working things out for us.
She replied joyfully, "God, I love you!"
When something seems to go wrong, do we thank God? When events are unfolding in our lives such that we feel our lives are unraveling, do we have faith in God and trust in Him?
Today we witnessed the loving care of God. Yet again we heard the call from God for us to abandon ourselves to Him and to trust in Him. Today once again we saw how God takes care of us, even when we think all is lost.
And so, having seen the obvious evidence of God's loving Providence today, we are called to deepen our trust in Him. I said to Samah, raising my hands toward the sky and shaking them, perhaps God is asking us in such a manner, "Do you trust Me now?"
* 1 Thessalonians 5:18
** Romans 8:28
In a previous blog post I mentioned Samah, who is our guest here at the Catholic Worker House. Today Samah and I received good reminders of the need to give thanks to God always and to trust in God always. In the midst of what seemed like a predicament, we saw how the Providence of God works all things to the good of those who love Him.**
This morning I went to pick up a donation of food at one location and to drop off a donation of food at another place. Once I had returned home and had parked the van across the street from the Catholic Worker House, I was on the sidewalk about to open the side of the van to remove some food I had picked up for the house.
I looked up and saw Samah on the sidewalk waving to me. Now, typically when I'm out on the sidewalk and Samah and I see each other, she waves to me. However, today, when I first saw her, she was waving a bit insistently to me. At first I was puzzled over why she was waving so emphatically to me. I asked her if she had gotten locked out of the house. She replied that her car was at the gas station and wouldn't start. We walked together a few blocks to the gas station.
At her request, I tried starting the car so I could hear the sound it had been making when she had been trying to start it. Upon trying to start it, I told her that, with my limited knowledge of car mechanics, I wondered whether she needed a new starter given the sound it was making.
Then we pushed and steered the car as it was in neutral gear. Soon a young man, who had been hanging out in the park on the other side of the street, ran across the street and asked us if we wanted his assistance in moving the car. We gladly accepted his help, and he helped us push it to the gas pump.
Once we had gotten the car to the pump, we introduced ourselves to each other. He told me his name is Mario. He mentioned that he works in a Christian ministry which serves homeless folks. I was so glad to meet him! I enjoyed hearing about his ministry, since he serves some of the same persons who come to the Catholic Worker House for help. He told us that after we had put gas in it, if we needed his help again to push it away from the pump, we could call him back over to us from across the street.
Samah put five dollars in her gas tank. Then she tried again to start the car, but it wouldn't start. At some point, frustrated, she exclaimed, "I don't want this car!"
At some point while we were at the gas pump, I turned and saw that a man was in a car waiting to use the pump after Samah. I explained to him, "Her car wouldn't start, so we pushed it to the pump to see if it needed gas."
He replied, "I'll buy that car." As I stared at him in disbelief, he explained, "That's what I do. I buy cars."
I responded, "Great! Can we get your number?" He gave us his number, which made Samah very happy, as she was receiving contact information for someone who wanted to buy the car she didn't want to keep.
After we realized at the pump that the car wasn't going to start, I got Mario's attention from across the street. He came back over to us and helped us push the car out to the street, where Samah maneuvered it to the curb, where she parked. After expressing our gratitude yet again to Mario, Samah and I parted ways with him and began to walk home.
As we were walking home, I pointed out to Samah, "You see? You wanted to get rid of this car, and now you know of someone who will buy it." I said that when things seem to be going astray, God is working things out for us.
She replied joyfully, "God, I love you!"
When something seems to go wrong, do we thank God? When events are unfolding in our lives such that we feel our lives are unraveling, do we have faith in God and trust in Him?
Today we witnessed the loving care of God. Yet again we heard the call from God for us to abandon ourselves to Him and to trust in Him. Today once again we saw how God takes care of us, even when we think all is lost.
And so, having seen the obvious evidence of God's loving Providence today, we are called to deepen our trust in Him. I said to Samah, raising my hands toward the sky and shaking them, perhaps God is asking us in such a manner, "Do you trust Me now?"
* 1 Thessalonians 5:18
** Romans 8:28
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