I Have Come to Believe

St. Martha

She said to Him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who is coming into the world." John 11:27

Today we celebrate St. Martha. She is the patron saint of servants and cooks. She was such a believer in hospitality that she neglected to focus on what was truly important in the presence of our Lord, listening to Him. She finally got it today in Scripture when she left her house full of mourners over her brother's death, to go meet Jesus.

Do we do that? Do we leave our worries and schedules and activities behind to meet with God? I know I don't do it as often as I should. I'm talking about prayer here. I'm trying so hard to keep up with my house and the kids that it can get in the way of spending time with our Lord if I let it. And I let it. But when I put all of my priorities aside to pray, to talk with God, I feel better. I feel rejuvinated. I feel ready to face the day again. Jesus demands our attention. How can we expect Him to give us His attention when we don't do the same?

I didn't know much about God or Jesus or Mary or Joseph for the majority of my life. I have always wondered about the story though. I wondered who Jesus really was. I knew He was the Son of God, but that was about it. I always believed He existed, and God too of course, but that was about it. I never knew what the commandments were all about, but I wanted to.

As an adult, after having three children, I decided to take action. I went to RCIA and became confirmed. I felt good about that, but I still felt like something was missing. There was something in my heart that just wasn't all there yet. Something happened in the fall of 2008 when all the buzz was happening around the election. All the talk about abortion and Obama... something hit me. It all began to make sense and I finally truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah.

I finally believed, in my heart, that everything I had was from Him. I finally believed, in my heart, that everything I did was because He allowed me to do it. I finally believed, in my heart, that He needed to let negative things happen in my life to get the good from it. I think that was the hardest one to come to terms with. It was so freeing to finally be able to say that I truly and honestly believed in God and everything about Him!! Are there times that I have doubt? Yes. And I feel terrible about that when it happens. But I always look to God in prayer for answers in those tough times. Today, I am going to make that my priority, put down my worries and schedule, and talk with God.

Lord, I believe You and You alone are the Messiah. Help me to continue to listen to You.

Daily Readings:
Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99:5-7, 9 John 11:19-27