By Jennifer Beutz

jen beutz august 7, 2016

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Beutz. Used with Permission.

When things you are familiar with and take for granted each day drop away, like your strength and your good health, you are forced to refocus your energy. After a lifetime of enjoying a variety of sports and all that the great outdoors has to offer, my husband was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. It has shaken our family to the core. It took me a solid month just to process what it would mean for our relationship, our children, our life.

Our refocus entailed much more time spent in prayer. Normally being pretty active people, we had a strong prayer life but also very full days. Lately, we have been forced to slow down our lives, our conversations, and our thoughts. God seems to be giving us ample opportunity to focus on our spiritual life. Even though we had been very happy and felt fulfilled, He has been providing us with a new direction.

In today’s second reading to the Hebrews, it says, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for …” (11:1)

A few close friends and family members came to me after they learned of my husband’s diagnosis. They said they are asking God for my husband’s complete healing. Am I allowed to do that? When things seem so dire, can I really approach God and ask for everything I want? Out of desperation, my strategy had been to bargain: What do I need to pray for or do to shrink the largest tumor? Or to have him live until Christmas? But God places people in our path to deliver these spiritual messages. A friend told me she shamelessly asks God for everything she wants. That is the spiritual gift of faith! These friends have shown me an example of their faith, their realization of God’s hand at work in our lives. I’ve experienced a spiritual transformation through them sharing their charism of faith. I now pray for complete healing; anything is possible with Him. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we are far too easily pleased, when God has infinite joy to offer us!

This faith leads to a greater trust in God. It shows our vulnerability and our trust in God to give Him our hearts completely, revealing to Him our deepest needs. It’s not that we necessarily doubt that He can do great things, but it can be a scary thing to get our hopes up—a fear of our wants not matching up with God’s will. It makes me think of “lessen yourself to make more room for Christ.” To live in fear is not of the Lord; it is not His will for us. We can want something that is good, like the health of our spouse, but it is to stretch our trust in the Lord to be prepared to ask for His will to be done, not ours.

Trust can be nurtured by praying with the Divine Mercy image we have been given through St. Faustina. Jesus, I Trust in You.

In today’s first reading, Abraham offered up Isaac out of complete trust in the Lord. Do I have that much trust in Him to make such an offering? Jesus not only wants us to trust in Him, but to ask for His mercy, especially during times of struggle. We are called to reflect His mercy to the rest of the world, that others may come to know Him through us. This is something I can actively do for my husband; acts of service toward him and prayerful petitions for him. Any corporal or spiritual work of mercy we can do for others not only brings them close to the Lord, but brings us closer as well.

I pray that reflecting on the Divine Mercy image and contemplating daily scriptures will instill a greater trust in my heart. I pray this not only because I believe He can do anything, but because I want to transform my heart to trust that whatever He wills, that is what is best. Even if His will is not what I desperately want. I pray to be humbled and to trust that my heart will be prepared to accept His will in all things.

About the Author:

jennifer-beutzJennifer Beutz lives out her vocation in marriage to her husband of 17 years. They have been blessed with three amazing children. Jennifer works toward the mission of the New Evangelization as the small group coordinator at St. Hubert Catholic Community in Chanhassen, MN. She has been published in The Catholic Spirit and co-authored a weekly column in the Star Tribune with her mother, who is her writing mentor.