THE PROOF IS IN THE BLESSINGS
“Then he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?... These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you…You are witnesses of these things.’" - Luke 24:38,44,47
I’m that person that asks God for signs, and then encounters what appear like signs, but isn’t sure they’re really signs, so I pray for signier signs [insert dunce cap here]. In today’s gospel, while the disciples recall how they’d recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, Jesus appeared to them again, and they were startled and afraid…again. Jesus also showed them his wounds and asked the disciples to touch him to prove he wasn’t a ghost…again.
I am that disciple too, regularly startled by blessings and afraid of detours; as if God has never given me His grace nor guided my ways before. During this time of uncertainty in my life, when I feel more hopeless and confused than I ever have, I ask myself to look back and take note of any moments that I’ve forgotten were redirections or blessings at the time – changing my major, not getting hired for a job, friendships beginning, friendships ending, broken hearts that felt like they’d be broken forever but found healing, replying to the right email, attending a timely retreat, watching a random YouTube video that taught me something valuable – they were all signs from and by God.
It’s easy to be attentive to God and be reminded of His blessings when life is pleasant, when it’s manageable, when there’s nothing but goodness to see. It is more challenging to feel God’s presence, to feel His love, when we are in despair and can hardly love ourselves. Yet God will continue to be present, again and again, no matter how often we forget, no matter how clear a sign we pray for. He has infinite options for “signier signs.” We’re simply being invited to remember that we’ve seen His signs before.
Are there signs of God’s presence in your life that you may not have noticed?
Anna Gonda