Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Through Broken Roses

Home
Catholic
Keep me safe, O God; You are my Hope

Keep me safe, O God; You are my Hope

Last updated on: April 6, 2015 at 2:57 pm by Leticia Adams

Keep me safe, O God; You are my Hope 2015-04-06T14:57:36-05:00 Leticia Adams

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This year’s Holy Week was amazing in so many ways. I have spent a lot of time lately feeling as if God had forgotten me and then this past week He just made it clear to me that He loves me just as much today as He did five years ago when I was coming into the Catholic Church.

2010 was the best year of my entire life. I went on a great 13 day vacation in Rome with Stacey, I met Christ on the Appia Antica in the form of a shepherd and his herd of sheep, I was confirmed, my kids were Baptized and confirmed at Easter Vigil, Stacey and I were married in the Church and he was confirmed that November. It was a year full of so much happiness and love. I have been wishing so hard to be able to go back to that year and take more time to enjoy all of it more. At the time, I had no idea that life was about to get so very difficult. I had no idea just how much the evil one would work to try and destroy every one of the relationships that are important to me. I really thought that I was getting my happily ever after.

For the past couple of years I have looked back on that year with anger. Anger that God did not let me know just what lay ahead of me. I have looked up at Jesus on the Cross and actually thought about how His suffering was a few days and mine has been two long years. I have been the worst kind of disciple. I thought that I was being a light of Christ when the reality is that everything I have been doing was because I wanted to be somebody who got paid for speaking gigs, had a following and was living in a fancy house while driving a red Cadillac. None of it was really about Jesus and bringing glory to Jesus. It was all about me. About how great I could be and how many lives that I could change.

The thing about God is that He doesn’t really care about all of that. He just lets us go on making our plans while answering our prayers in the way that He knows will bring us closer to Him. For instance, even though my self-aborsbed self was asking for Him to take away all the things that kept me from Him because I wanted to be a popular Catholic speaker, He answered me by having me be a waitress again. He has given me the grace to let go of my comforts and sometimes has even forced me to let some of them go and then He put me smack in the middle of real life instead of behind a podium. I did not want to go back to waiting tables at all. But I asked Him for His Will even though I really wanted my will, which was a book deal and not a job where my feet would hurt and people would be rude to me over a side of ranch. He gave me this job though and I accepted it as His will and shook my fist in the air.

I started this new job during Holy Week but I asked for Good Friday off. I didn’t really explain why I wanted it off, but I had already made plans to go out to The Mission of Divine Mercy to walk the Stations, venerate a relic of the True Cross and go to confession. I had not been to confession in a really long time and I needed to go or I was not going to be able to receive Communion on Easter Sunday. As I was walking stations I realized just exactly what Jesus had endured for my sins. Here I was whining about having to wait tables but Jesus had been nailed to a Cross for me. Who the hell was I to say no to Him? I had asked for Him to teach me to serve and in God’s typical funny way, He had answered that prayer. Mother Teresa has become a great saint serving the poorest of the poor and in my own way I can do that same by being a Catholic in a group of people who don’t really know any Catholics who take their faith seriously. The very first day I worked, a few people were debating about what Good Friday meant and when Lent was over. Guess who was standing there to tell them? Me. Explaining my faith to people face to face was a great feeling. I answered their questions and then went on doing my job. I gave them a little bit of Jesus with no applause, no fireworks and with no 235 comment thread on Facebook, but it was still Jesus none the less. And I didn’t make a cent off of it. I am still behind on all my bills, my house may still be foreclosed on and my car still needs insurance, but I did what I was made to do: tell people about Jesus.

I did not know what exactly I needed, but God did and He gave it to me. As usual, I accepted it kicking and screaming, just like I accepted becoming Catholic the same way. Five years later I look back and I realize that I made the best choice to give my life to Christ and live that life out as a Catholic. I have made a lot of mistakes, I have gone far right from far left and I am now learning how to land in the middle. I have been rude to people, I have purposely missed Mass on Sunday, I have been angry at God, I have been angry at other Catholics, I have been jealous of people who make money talking about Jesus, I have been angry at myself, I have been a horrible example to my children, I have tried to force people to believe what I do in order to be a part of my life, I have been a real bitch to my husband and I have sat around having my own pity party when life sucked. All of those things have left me with some pretty serious scars, but they have also taught me that there is nothing I could ever do to earn or lose God’s Love. He is always there listening to and answering my prayers.

Jesus, my Lord, I love you.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even in the night my heart exhorts me.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

Previous Post

March 31, 2015

I wish I would Have Known on Easter Vigil 5 Years Ago

Next Post

April 8, 2015 Test by Fire

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #PopeInUS 7 quick takes Abortion Bad Days Book Review Books Caitlyn Jenner Catholicsim Conversion Crosses Death Dignity of the Human Person Easter Ethics Evil Fall Family Fear Freedom Gay Marriage God Holy Week Homosexuality Jesus Laughter Lessons Love Marriage Mass Motherhood My Life New Evangelzation new year Parenting Peace Planned Parenthood Politics Pope Francis Pregnancy Race Rap Music Relationships Saints Sins Suffering Tempation The Catholic Church The Past Things about me Trust Truth Uncategorized Women's rights Writing

Select a Month December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 May 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 August 2011 July 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Aaron God Moses Jacob