The Most Important Relationship

Dear Lord; Once again Father, I want to start our Monday chat by thanking You for a lovely weekend with good friends and family.  While I probably should have spent more time sleeping and recharging for the week ahead, the time spent with those I care about greatly outweighed the need for rest.  Either way, it was a wonderful weekend and I thank You for that.

This morning Lord, I’d like to talk with You about the paradoxical effect this Season seems to bring on to some people.  With all of the emphasis on the close relationships in our lives this time of year, those people experiencing a personal loss may dwell on that emptiness and end up having adverse feelings about the Holiday in general.  Be it death, divorce, illness or physical separation causing those feelings, I’ve seen quite a few folks who are just having a difficult time embracing the love this Time of Celebration exudes.  The true shame in this really is that these people are missing the most important relationship that they have… The one with You!  Joshua 1:9 reads :

“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

While we all suffer from losses on this Earth at some point, if we put our focus on Your constant Presence in our lives, we are never truly alone.  What an amazing Gift that is!  Like all of Your Children at some point, I’ve been guilty of focusing my heart on mortal pains now and again.  The closer I get to You though Lord, the less time I spend with my heart in turmoil and the more thankful I become.  Please reach out Your Light to all those in pain Father, so that they may feel the Peace and Love of this Blessed time of year.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Life on Overload

Dear Lord; Over the last week or so Father, I’ve run into quite a few people who seem frazzled, and describe their overall state as feeling overwhelmed.  It’s not usually any specific thing, just a combination of everyday tasks and worries such as housework, work projects, kids’ activities and a plethora of others, and then on top of that the onset of the Holidays just puts that last straw on the camel’s back.  I can certainly understand it, and have been guilty of letting life get the better of me more than once.  To a point, I think we all live our lives on overload which makes it very easy to feel overburdened as soon as anything else is added to the pile.

Heavenly Father, please give us clear vision to see past the tasks at hand and recognize Your Gifts and True Purpose for us all.  Fill our hearts and minds with Your Presence, and help us focus on the Divine Meaning of this Season so that we can go forward in Love, and honor Your Blessings.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

From the Voices of Children

Dear Lord;  Good morning, and Happy Thanksgiving Father!  Over the last few days, I’ve been focusing our correspondence on some of the Blessings that I’m thankful for, so today I thought I’d share our time together and get my children involved in our chat.  Quite often I’ve heard Your Voice or seen Your Light in them, so it made sense to me to find out what they were truly thankful for.  This morning I asked them, “What would you like to thank God for?”, and here are their replies…

Aidan, Age 8 : “I would like to thank God for giving me a family, a home, for my pets, that my family’s really smart, that our new kitty wasn’t too sick when we got her, that I have nice friends, that I’m healthy, that my whole family is ‘mostly healthy’, that Me and Jonathan get along sometimes and that I have a good time at school.”

Jonathan, Age 10 : “I want to thank God for a healthy family, a caring family, great friends, a house around me, food in my tummy, for all the things You’ve done for me, having pets, having things to do, for having good education, having a brother, being able to go off and do things, for having clothes, making it so I can have video games, making me able to play with my family, forgiving me when I’ve done wrong and giving me courage for getting through tough situations.”

As I’ve mentioned before Lord, these two little boys are up towards the top of my Blessings list.  My heart is shaped daily by their presence, and I lift my prayers of thanks to You for having them in my life.

May all of Your Children feel Your Loving Touch on this day, and know Your Grace that we may honor Your Presence and go forward in Love.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

On My Son’s Birthday

Dear Lord; Eight years ago today, You Blessed me with my youngest son Aidan.  He’s a remarkable child Lord, and although he’s extremely good at driving me crazy I love him to no end, and am VERY proud of him.  Thank You for the amazing Gift that he is, and for continuing to Bless our lives by having him in them.

As I sit contemplating the last eight years, it very much comes back to the email I sent you a couple of days ago.  Becoming a father has by far changed my life and directed my path more than any other single factor.  I imagine, in a limited way my love, cares, fears and wishes for my two boys must be similar to the way You feel for all Your Children.  I realize Your Perfect Love is infinitely more robust, but when I think about how deeply my two children affect me, my mind reels at the thought of being a Father to all the people of the world.  You are indeed a Wonderous God, and an amazing Father to us all.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Thanks Dad…

Dear Lord; As I’ve mentioned to You before, I think becoming a father was truly the starting point of my Spiritual Awakening, and the path to growing my relationship with You.  In fact, this morning while searching for inspiration for our correspondence, I kept coming back to the relationship I have with my children.  That got me wondering, if being a father to my two boys was so powerful a force in my life, how must it feel to be the Father of all of us?  I worry endlessly about my kids, revel in their successes, cringe at their pain and watch them grow with adoration and fascination.  I can’t even imagine experiencing that on the scale You have.  Well, as one of Your Children, I just want to say Thank You for all you do Father;  Your unending Love, Your sacrifices, Your Grace and Your bountiful Blessings in all our lives each day.  And Lord, I especially want to thank You for allowing me the Blessing of being a father myself.  It has truly opened my eyes and my heart to You more than ever before.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil