[Finding God in All Things] Day 1 – Do you desire to find God in All Things?

Farmer of Hearts - Finding God in All Things

In the past two years, amid the upheaval of wars and social unrest, the world appears unfamiliar and hostile compared to our previous experiences. People are growing more anxious and restless. We may wonder: Why is God so elusive? Has He turned His gaze away from us? Is He indifferent to the widespread suffering in the world? Is God's omnipresence a mere fiction or a thing of the past?

This year's FLL Farmer of Hearts online Lenten retreat, themed "Finding God in All Things," aims to awaken the awareness of God's omnipresence and provide a fresh perspective. Beyond offering contemplation for Lent, the retreat seeks to inspire "metanoia" or transformative changes in our lives.

In the entire process, we have to invite the Holy Spirit to be our guide, leading us and showing us the way, including when to pause and when to continue. We encourage you to participate in this retreat with an open and willing heart to make changes. We hope that, guided by the Holy Spirit, you will be willing to renew yourself in thought and understanding, thus changing the usual patterns of response and action. During the retreat, when you hear words that touch and inspire you, you may pause to carefully reflect on the touch and movement of the Spirit in your heart and the messages He gives you.

The desired outcome is increased inner freedom, fostering a more peaceful, resilient, and hopeful life—an essential state in our unpredictable and turbulent world.

"Finding God in All Things" is not just a life skill. To be exact, it is a mindset and direction in life. This attitude guides us to "encounter God" in our daily lives, ultimately leading to the goal of "being in communion with God". This is precisely what the Heavenly Father desires! Therefore, "finding God in all things" is not a fabricated utopian illusion. In fact, all created things are gifts from God out of love for humanity. Hence, in everything, we can find His footprints!

“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” (Rm 1:20)

If you find your emotions stirred during the process, please allow your emotions or memories to speak to you, and ask the Lord to reveal the reasons and meanings behind these emotions. Use them as materials to discern God's invitation to you in the present moment. If at that moment, you can share your inner feelings with the Lord and engage in a conversation with Him, that is ideal. The purpose is to establish an intimate and trusting relationship with Him through heart-to-heart conversations, ultimately feeling His unique and personal love for you, gaining a deeper understanding of His intentions, and responding to His invitation.

The essence of the retreat is not to rush through the content of listening and meditation but to integrate the inspirations gained during the retreat into daily life. The more you can sense the presence of the Lord during this retreat, the more it will help you establish new attitudes and patterns of life, encountering the Lord in all things in your everyday life.

A retreat is a window through which God and His words can enter our hearts, bringing us closer to our Heavenly Father. The main purpose of a retreat is not to learn or to take a course. It cannot answer all questions about the subject. The more we can let go of our subjective desires and entrust unresolved issues emerging during the retreat entirely to God, the more we can extract the maximum benefit from the retreat. Our focus is on experiencing God's presence, that He is real, and His intense personal love for us.

Reflection

How is the current state of your mental and spiritual life? Are you experiencing joy or anxiety? Do you feel a sense of direction or are you feeling lost?

Do you feel the presence of God in your life?

When you learned that the theme of this retreat is "Finding God in all things," how did you feel? Do you feel excited and look forward to it?

Today’s Prayer

Come, O Holy Spirit, illuminate me and open the eyes of my heart! Remove all stumbling blocks that hinder me from experiencing God. Enlighten me to joyfully find God in all things, encounter His presence, and hear His voice!

Lord, breathe Your life in me with renewed hope, and instill in me a desire to encounter You every moment of my life!

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