{"id":1468,"date":"2014-12-06T22:48:49","date_gmt":"2014-12-06T22:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1468"},"modified":"2014-12-06T23:16:51","modified_gmt":"2014-12-06T23:16:51","slug":"a-praying-spirit-advent-week-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2014\/12\/a-praying-spirit-advent-week-two.html","title":{"rendered":"A Praying Spirit: Advent Week Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anytime we confide in someone, however close we are to them, we need to have lots of trust. Trust that they will listen truly and faithfully. Trust that they will provide us with authentic reflections and guidance. Trust that they will not spread to others what we want to have held close. \u00a0Sometimes, we can experience the kind of strong, human trust that lifts us up and inspires us. But sometimes, too, we might feel as if the person whom we trust has betrayed us, let us down.<\/p>\n

Yes, our brothers and sisters might be very fallible when it comes to trust. But not the Lord!<\/p>\n

When we lift up our desires, fears, our innermost thoughts, we trust – we must trust – that He will listen, respond, and hold us close.<\/p>\n

This week, focus on that sense of trust that you have in God. Focus on how, even if people do, the Lord will never leave you, foresake you, or turn away from you. He is the One we can always confide in, always cry to, always trust. And bring that sense of supreme trust into your prayer life and the days and nights that unfold this Advent. Ask that you will act and think from a place of even greater trust that God is leading you. Ask that, no matter your fears or hesitations, that you will be able to fix your eyes on the path on which God is leading you – ultimately trusting Him like no other.<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. 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