The Holy Spirit is in Control

I mentioned in a post last week (Putting God in Charge of my Priorities) that I had a talk to give on Saturday. Luckily I did manage to get the talk written and was prepared by the time Saturday morning rolled around.

Phew!

I was actually very calm about it too. I expected to be nervous because I'm always nervous before I have to be in front of a group. But I wasn't. Very uncharacteristic for me. Very!

My talk that morning was the second of two talks. Usually, in a situation like this, I don't get much out of anything before my own talk. Not true on Saturday morning. And I'm grateful, because the talk before mine was great and I got a lot out of it. So glad I was able to focus and listen and absorb the information. Especially since both talks (this one and my own) may be repeated by us for a different group of people in a few months!

Despite my calmness, I did still get that familiar sudden feeling of terror in the pit of my stomach just before I got up to speak. But it went away once I was at the podium and from there things went smoothly. I remember thinking how completely uncharacteristic this was for me.

I attribute my calmness to the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit could have accomplished something as great as calming the nerves of a very shy person about to speak to a group of people.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your presence that morning.

Image source

Putting God in Charge of my Priorities

I really should be doing something else right now. Actually, I should be doing a lot of things right now. Sleep would be nice, but that's not on the top of my list right now. Most likely my priorities are a little out of whack, but that's okay, we can worry about that another time.

Instead I am sitting at my desk with my Bible on one side of me and a handout from a presentation I went to a while back on the other side of me. I am supposed to be writing a talk. A talk I am giving on Saturday. Yes ... THIS Saturday. The Bible, the handout, my notes (on the handout), these are my tools. Sitting idly by while I write a blog post about why I'm not writing my talk.

What was that about priorities?

This week has been crazy. I think that craziness has made it difficult for me to concentrate on something that needs focused attention. Last week I was sick, so doing anything was out of the question. This week, I'm better but had so much stuff to catch up on. And I know I'm probably forgetting something too.

And sometimes you just need a break. And that's what we did Wednesday night. And on our way to get some frozen yogurt (thus delaying the boys' bedtime) my iPod alarm went off and I remembered a meeting I was supposed to attend right then. And that triggered a reminder in my brain that Hubby's wine club was also that evening. So I missed my meeting (luckily that turned out okay) and we have no new wines (sadness), but we had frozen yogurt (which made the boys very happy, until it was gone and then they were very angry).

Breaks are good ... necessary actually. And I have another very long break coming up! A whole week away. But before that, I really need to get this talk written. And a letter written that I was asked to submit today. And I have to brush up on my football knowledge for an interview I'm doing (more on that later). And prepare a presentation I was asked to do in Early October. And, and, and ...

Well, okay, I can wait a bit on the October thing. Priorities!

What I really needed to do tonight was write this post. Weird, I know. But for me, it helped to get something written. It broke the ice for more writing I need to do. And writing helps me focus. It's a good exercise for the brain.

Now I can focus on the talk and I think I'll put off the letter. I'm sure the letter is needed tomorrow, but it will have to wait. I can't do it all. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit I can do everything within the time frame God has planned for me. I need to allow Him to guide me in my priorities.

Come Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of us your faithful

and kindle in us the fire of Your love.

Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created,

and You shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit

instructs the hearts of the faithful,

grant that by the same Holy Spirit

we may be truly wise

and ever rejoice

in His consolations.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

God, I pray for guidance. 

Send your Spirit to guide me in the words You need me to share.

Amen.

Writing Elsewhere

I keep forgetting to share here whenever I have a post up on Catholic Sistas.  Sorry!!  But really, what I'd love to see is all my readers adding Catholic Sistas to their blog readers.  And go "like" the Facebook fan page while you're at it.  :-)

So today I have a new post over on the Sistas blog: A Community of Authentic Catholicism.  You should check it out not because I wrote it but because the blog is awesome and after you read my post you must read posts from the other Sistas. They are all much better writers than I.  You can just humor me, but go read them.

In all honesty, I like this post that I wrote.  I do feel the Holy Spirit had a hand in guiding it, as well as several of my fellow Sistas who rightly steered me in the proper direction when I got a bit derailed in the writing process.  But I read it now and I think, wow, those are my words?  Nope, they are not.  The Holy Spirit must have wanted someone to read those words and made sure I got them in the correct order.  Praise God, He works in amazing ways!

Hope you enjoy and continue to visit!!