By Jim
Bayne
See, the
eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his
kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. (Psalm
33:18-19)
By faith
Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive
as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. (Hebrews 11:8)
Blessed are
those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. (Luke 12:37)
Piety
Take Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess.
You have given all to me. To You, O lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of
it wholly according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace, for
this is sufficient for me. – Ignatius
Loyola
Study
Back
in 1978, Diane and I had begun the process of looking for a piece of property
that the diocese could turn into a retreat center for families. The search wasn’t going well. I had reached a point where I wasn’t sure if
this long time dream of ours would ever become a reality. One day, in desperation, I tried a little
game of “Bible Roulette.” I opened to
today’s reading from Chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews. I read: “By faith...” Wasn’t sure that was the message so I turned
the page and there it was again: “By faith...”
A third turn of the page gave the same result. OK, Lord, I get it, Trust You.
Not
long after I was once again having doubts. On this occasion, a phone call
provided the answer. A Cursillo group
mate called to share a word that had come to him and that he was sure was meant
for me: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart...” A few months after that phone call, our dream
became a reality and Bethany House Family Retreat opened in September 1979.
Proverbs 3:5-6 has hung by our front door ever since
as a continuous reminder that we need to be people of faith and place all of
our trust in the Lord.
Our
journey these last 38 years has demonstrated time and again that we indeed can
“Trust in the Lord.” The journey has
been nothing like the one we planned, but the Master has indeed had us “recline
at table” and he has served us well. We
are indeed “Blessed.”
Action
If
today you hear the voice of the Lord calling you to some mission, go forth in
faith, trusting that if you willingly give yourself fully to the Lord and stay
awake to His leading, He will indeed set a fine table before you.
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