Growing in Faith

Recently, Joshua and I had the chance to hear a series of messages from an Archabbot (Lambert). His messages were surrounding faith and how one can grow in it. Often times, I think that my faith simply grows because I simply believe or because I happen to stand up for something. His messages however, really changed the way I view myself and how I react to nearly every thing in life. I hope I continue to implement his thoughts into my life. Here are some notes I took:

• “If there are certain things we haven’t done, it doesn’t mean we are good, it means God has been good to us.” (you may have just not had the chance)
• The most repeated message in scripture is: God’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts.
• Faith: What God reveals to be His mind. We should submit our thinking to His.
• We always see things from WHERE WE ARE rather than from WHERE THEY ARE.
• If I want to grow in faith, what would that be? Largely it’s having a better understanding of how God sees the world. (i.e. in Cana Jesus shows a man that the proximity of where He (Christ) is does not matter when it comes to healing).
• “Growing in faith means accepting whatever He wants.”
• We all believe we’re entitled to what we want–why? Are we really entitled to anything?
• Theology is faith knocking on mystery’s door.
• We like to fashion God into what we want. We pick and choose–then we forget the rest.
• Jesus tells us to: turn the cheek, give more when someone takes something, etc–accepting these things is growing in faith.
• We don’t get to chose the cross we carry.
• “It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, if God wants it, that’s what should be.”
• Sometimes we equate growing in faith with growing in feeling.
• Growing in faith=growing in prayer–which means praying for more than just what we want.
• God doesn’t make mistakes.
• There is no such thing as being Christian without suffering.
• “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”
• We become who we’re suppose to be by accepting who we are. Do not try to become what you are not, be well at what you are.
• God doesn’t want us to change who we are, to try to be a saint, but to adopt their virtues.
• The more like Christ we are, the more human we become.
• When we learn to accept ourselves, we have to learn to accept other people.
• Learning to live with “it,” is learning the peace of Christ.
• We do not become God by eating the tree as Adam did, but by hanging on it as the second Adam did.
• Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify the church.

And some quotes mentioned by some well known individuals:

• I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle–I just wish He wouldn’t trust me so much.-Mother Teresa.
• It’s hard to think without sinning. -St. Augustine
• I knew you would tire of confessing long before I would tire of forgiving. -Phillip Neary
• Success is not in succeding but in never giving up trying. -Mother Teresa