I've noticed how impatient I can get with God.
I desire to have His love at work within me, transforming me. But I don't know how to go about it and I quickly get frustrated. The problem is, when I let my impatience get in the way, I forget that God is God and His ways are not my ways. He is beyond our questions of how, when, and where. God is beyond our limitations of space and time, matter and gravity.
You and I need to consider how God's love really does work in us, so we can better understand His ways and grow in patience.
First, and most simply, we need to realize, "God is Love!" (1 Jn 4:8). So, we need to let Him be God and love us. In fact, God is always loving us. It's His nature. And He takes the initiative: "Love consists in this; not that we have loved God, but that He has loved us" (1 Jn 4:10).
Second, this God who is Love is always present. The love of God is present in us by the gift of the Holy Spirit who has been poured into our hearts at Baptism. So we can be present in silent, loving adoration to the One who is always present to us.
Third, God's love is always at work. Whether we feel it or not, His love is at work in the deep, dark caverns of our hearts, cleaning up and reaming out all the obstacles to His presence. He is making space for the gift of Himself. We need to ask Him, then, to continue His work of love in us as He makes more space for Himself.
Fourth — and perhaps most importantly for us — God waits for us to open our hearts ever wider to Him. What the Lord asks of us is a bit of good will and permission for Him to work in our hearts. He says to you and me, "Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears Me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with Me" (Rev 3:20).
Saint Faustina allowed the Lord's love to work in her heart as she grew in greater trust and a deeper desire for Him. So, too, we can invite Jesus ever more fully into our hearts, asking Him to remove any obstacles to His love.
"O my Jesus, how easy it is to become holy; all that is needed is a bit of good will," writes St. Faustina. "If Jesus sees this little bit of good will in the soul, He hurries to give Himself to the soul, and nothing can stop Him, neither shortcomings or falls — absolutely nothing" (Diary, 291).
If we muster only a "flicker of good will, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest" (see Diary, 1486). We can make a simple offering of ourselves or a gesture expressing our good will. Then, the Lord will take us deeper and further into His love.
Even St. Faustina had to probe her soul more deeply when the Lord told her that there was something she still had not offered Him. Finally, she cried out, "Jesus, tell me what it is, and I will give it to You at once with a generous heart."
Jesus replied with kindness, "Daughter, give Me your misery, because it is your exclusive property."
"At that moment, a ray of light illumined my soul," writes St. Faustina, "and I saw the whole abyss of my misery. In that same moment, I nestled close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with so much trust that even if I had the sins of all the damned weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God's mercy" (Diary, 1318).
So, what can I do?
The Lord is waiting for me to give Him everything — my impatience, my frustration, all of my misery.
I can say with all of my being, "Come into my heart, Lord Jesus! Do your work of love. Root out all of my misery."
"Make my heart like Yours. Make it ever true."
By: Father George Kosicki, CSB, one of the best-known authors and speakers on Divine Mercy. He lives in solitude in upper Michigan with the community of Companions of Christ the Lamb.
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