If you are like me, then you are probably not too thrilled about daylight savings weekend. I value my sleep, and do not appreciate losing an hour and the upset it will cause my toddlers when their routine is thrown off by the time change. But then I start to look at the big picture and realize that with daylight savings comes the hope that Spring will be here soon! Spring is one of my favorite seasons because we start seeing flowers and signs of new life. It is also the season that Gabriel, Rebecca, and I all have a birthday in. Spring brings hope that winter is over (I’m not a fan of the cold) and that warmer weather is in the future. Easter also falls in the Spring. With Easter comes the hope of eternal life and celebration that Jesus saved us.
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| Gabriel and Rebecca love the swings! |
We have been fortunate enough to have beautiful weather this weekend, and for the first time in months, my kids were able to go to the park and play and run around and get some fresh air. My husband’s mom and brother came down for the weekend and were pushing Gabriel and Rebecca on the swings while I was sitting down feeding Theresa and sitting by Snowy. During this time, I watched my kids smiling faces, and was just fully aware of the beauty around me and was able to appreciate God’s creation. I was finally able to heed the bible verse Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God”. I felt at peace and wondered how anyone could doubt there is a God when we are surrounded by His beautiful creation.
I think that the gospel reading for today is so appropriate to have the same weekend as daylight savings. Today the gospel reading at Church, MT 17:1-9 is the story of the Transfiguration. With this story, James, John, and Peter are on the mountain with Jesus and see him talking with Moses and Elijah, and then are afraid when they hear God’s voice saying that, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (MT 17:5). After Jesus calms them down and reassures them, how do you think James, Peter, and John must have felt? I think they must have had an increase in faith and hope. They now knew for sure that Jesus was the Messiah and their faith in Him grew stronger. They were granted the blessing of seeing the bigger picture of who Jesus really is.
Sometimes our fears and emotions can lead us further from God and not enable us to see the full picture. We can get so caught up in the little details of life and are not able to really appreciate all of our blessings. One of the first things we teach our kids once they are able to talk is to say please, and thank you. If we constantly remind our kids to say thank you, then why is it hard for us to remember to say thank you to God? How often are you able to see things in a positive light instead of focusing on all the negative details? It is so easy to get caught in a bad mood and make the rest of the day a bad one too- negativity is very contagious!
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| Praying a rosary is a great way to thank God! (Typically on Sundays, the Glorious Mysteries are said, one of which is the Ascension of Jesus, and the fruit of that mystery is hope!). |
My mom sent me a picture over Instagram a few weeks ago posted by @kristina_kader that said, “What would you do if you woke up tomorrow morning and all you had is what you thanked God for yesterday!!!” and then I thought…”oh no!” Most of the time I am praying for help, guidance, or intentions that I forget to say something that I constantly remind my kids to say- thank you. This Lent, I am trying to start my day by thanking God for all my blessings, and end it the same way. If I catch myself getting so caught up with the minor details, I try to look at the big picture instead. For example, this morning, I was getting frustrated that the coffee maker was glitching and not making the coffee. Then I realized, I am lucky that I even have coffee to begin with, and that I even have a coffee maker. If we choose to view things more positively, and count our blessings, we will grow closer to God.
Sometimes, life can just get overwhelming, and it’s okay to feel a little down. But we should also remember the gospel today, and remember to have faith in God and as a result have hope for the future. I had a bad day last week that made me bitter and upset, but by praying to God, and remembering the blessings He has given me, I felt better and had hope that everything will turn out okay for what I was struggling with.
We can choose to be bitter about not getting as much sleep for one night because of the daylight savings time change, or we can choose to view it more positively and have hope that Spring will be coming soon. I hope that you are able to view things in a more positive light today, and enjoy the rest of the weekend!
~Michelle
