God of Re-Dos

I’ve been in Dallas all week for a course on the Spiritual Exercises, and I’ve been praying for and thinking of you.

Our God is a God of re-dos. When we make a mistake or even sin, God is so generous to give us another chance to choose love. Have you noticed? 

I met a beautiful woman this week, a Sister. She confided in me that being a Sister is hard because people automatically think that she’s close to God, but she doesn’t feel close to him. One morning, years ago, as she sat by a lake with a cup of coffee in her hand, she asked God his name. To her utter shock he said, “Lover”. The thought of such intimacy scared her and for the next few years, she hid from Him. During this course, God gave her a re-do!

One of the night activities was a special Holy Hour where we were invited to accompany Christ on the Cross. The chapel lights were low, and many candles lit near the altar. There was a bowl of large nails and a bunch of roses. We were invited to take a nail to represent our accompaniment of Christ and a white or red rose to represent His fidelity and accompaniment of us. I noticed after we returned to the conference room to discuss our experience, that Sister had two roses, one red and one white. I quietly whispered in her ear, “Sister, only a Lover would give you both roses.” She smiled sheepishly. We talked about how the white rose is used in weddings and the red rose is a symbol of passionate love. It was her re-do! Will she receive the roses from her Lover?

The recommendation that we do an Examen each night gives us the opportunity to consider a moment that needs a re-do. Consider how you might act differently and ask God to give you the chance for a re-do!