“To us proud as we are,
the response of Jesus could have closed us totally to Him. We would have been
disposed to defend our honor at all costs. The Canaanite woman reacted in a
completely different way. She does not claim her rights, but in profound humility,
she decided to act with an unlimited trust that flows from an authentic
recognition of her nothingness and helplessness.
O woman, great is your
faith!” These words of Jesus express His admiration for this attitude. Because
of this, He fulfills the petition of the Canaanite woman…you should neither
lose heart nor be discouraged by the apparent absence of God’s response to your
supplication. While recognizing before God the truth about yourself, don’t stop
begging Him.
If God refuses…He does
so for your own salvation; He wants your faith to be at a point of folly and
unlimited trust.” (In the Arms of Mary-pg 98-99)
Ok…a
show if hands…
How many of you believe Jesus loves you?
How many of you trust Jesus?
So, what do you have to worry about?
The truth is, we all trust up to a certain point. When we are down and out and our way does not work, we trust because we are desperate. It is then that we finally see ourselves in truth and become humble. After a while, our pride seeps in again and we start to believe we are the ones working things out and we begin once again to trust more in ourselves then Him. Especially if we are not getting what we want or what we think is best for us! I think our entire lives are spent in constantly finding out we have taken over again and handing ourselves back to Him. It is just so easy for our pride to take over without us even recognizing it. How many times have you found yourself thinking “here I am again...I cannot believe I did this or that again” I know I do all the time.
The Canaanite woman begged Jesus for her daughters healing… He rejects her, or so it seems, and worse yet He called her a dog! He confronts her with her nothingness. We would probably not react that way. Chances are, we would get insulted and try to defend ourselves, But, she does not let her pride get in the way. She knows she cannot heal her daughter…she believes He is the Messiah and accepts her nothingness
she acknowledges she is like a dog but reminds Him”even a dog eats the scraps from the masters table!”
She appealed to his goodness
She not only trusted Him to do what she wanted and believed He could do, she challenged Him!
She made it impossible for Him to say no to her and still be who He was! Goodness & mercy itself!
We could almost say, she called his bluff!
What was it that caused her to have such faith? Was it that she had seen other healings?
Was she just so desperate for her daughters healing and felt she had nothing to loose?
We don’t really know, but I do know what caused me to beg.
I was desperate and immersed in my misery- I felt I had nothing to loose because I was miserable
I think our abortions fit into thecategory of “that which we most despise in our lives”
I have often said God took my worse sin and used it to bring me to Himself
Misery is Christ knocking at the door of our hearts
I begged because I knew I could not do it..I had tried everything.I persisted because without God I had no hope left. I literally wanted to die
I was in so much pain, and .I knew He was my last chance.
I certainly fell over and over again...I had no clue about Jesus or his love. I was learning for the 1st time..going on what others told me.
My life was in darkness..I remember a poem I wrote when I was just beginning to get glimpses of Jesus: It was titled “Im Searching in the dark to find you Lord”
3/86
I’m searching the dark to find you Lord,
Where are you?
I know you’re there.
The Church tells me…
Friends tell me…
You must be there.
I’m searching in the dark to find you Lord.
Where are you?
You must be there.
I felt you Lord.
One time for days.
It was wonderful. They were right.
I’m searching in the dark to find you Lord.
Where are you?
I know you’re there.
I can’t find you Lord.
My heart is hard.
Please help me to find you Lord…I’m lost.
I’m praying in the dark to find your Lord.
Where are you?
I know you’re there.
Ah, my heart has opened.
There you are, right beside me.
I couldn’t feel you without your love.
I’m praying in the light to stay with you Lord.
Here you are.
With me,
In me.
Please help me to stay with you
So other can find you in me, and them,
As I found you in them, and myself…
I pray to accept
the good and what I see as the bad, with gratitude knowing I can never be “good
enough” but that I do not have to be because I believe with my whole heart
In our God who comes down to us in His
great love and gives us His all
Jesus I trust in You!
