Enjoy Your Life

My dog is such a good boy, usually when I walk him at the park I let him off leash so that he can wander about at his own pace and just enjoy the supervised freedom.  I love seeing his happy face and his tail dancing in the wind.  He too keeps an eye on me during our walks and always keeps a comfortable distance.  During our walks while my little guy goes about smelling bushes and marking his territory I talk to God.  Mostly every time I get lost in the beauty of my doggy’s happiness and enjoyment of nature.  Dogs have this innate manner of appreciating life- they literally stop and smell the flowers.  At home things are no different, he gets excited over meal time, treats, barking at the mailman, chasing the UPS truck, sunbathing a few times during the day, the celebratory arrival of his pack at the end of each work day, and lots cuddling and affection.  While making these observations of my baby’s behavior I realized that a thankful spirit is really important in Christian spirituality.  The secret to inner peace is enjoying life and the gifts that God has given us, even while we wait for a prayer to be answered.  You can’t keep what you want from enjoying what you have.  I used to be the type of person that lived accumulating blessings, but never enjoying them.  My mentality was, “when I have or accomplish this then I will be happy.”  Yet, that happiness continued being postponed because I always wanted more or felt like I needed more to be happy.  Sometimes even now when I am ardently praying for something or someone I lose my peace in the asking forgetting that God promises to provide for all of our needs: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  

We have to be conscientious that every petition that we ask from God we have to take care of.  Answered prayers are gifts from God that we personally have asked for - be a new job, a material need, or a person- and come with a set of responsibilities and a desire from God for us to enjoy them.  Similarly, when we give someone a gift we want that person to delight in it.  Yet, I look at my aging parents, at my family and loved ones who sometimes in my busyness I neglect; or at my home, car, abundance of material goods and daily sustenance which I take for granted; or at the easy movements of my body and good health that I too disregard and wonder why God continues to give me so much when I have difficulty enjoying what I have.  I look back when I asked for a job, a house, the health of my loved ones and God gave me all and I am ashamed because I still doubt in His Providence and forget to appreciate these gifts.  It’s easier to focus on what I don’t have and lament over unanswered prayers... but just living in this country makes me so blessed!

I went to confession this Saturday, and as I was doing my examination of conscience I realized that I have a lot of growing to do.  I need to learn a thing or two from my dog in appreciating what I have and really ENJOYING God's gifts.  A prayer of thanksgiving can be as simple as an afternoon shopping with my mom and my sister, reading a new book from my overcrowded shelves, sitting in my backyard admiring my dad’s garden…  What we focus our minds on whether positive or negative will bear fruits.  Let’s develop grateful characters- spirits who wait in peace and enjoyment for prayers to be answered.  Let’s not allow our impatience and desires for a current prayer to rob or blind us of appreciating the abundant blessings we have already been given and to thank God simply by enjoying them.  A thankful spirit will make us better recipients of blessings to come and our lives will have peace and so much hope while we wait.  So today I challenge to enjoy your mom, dad, sibling, friend, significant other, your job, car, house…  Enjoy it all in thanksgiving and hope in God for He knows your heart and is working all things together for your good and the good of those who love Him.