Some 'friendly' advice

After reading my frequent Facebook and Road to Emmaus posts about the Holy Spirit’s influence in my life, one of my friends recently asked me, "Do you think every feeling or thought you get about God, Mary or anything else spiritual is a prompt from God, or sent from God?  Like God is giving you a nudge?  Like, ‘Oh, I think I’ll say the Rosary’ or, ‘Oh, I’ll go visit the church’ - is that always God giving us a hint?”

My initial response was a simple “Yes!”  I think I owe him a more detailed explanation though, so here’s what I came up with……

#1 

Pray.  Always, at all times and in all circumstances.



#2 

Tune in to the world around you; the people, the events and the circumstances of your immediate surroundings.  This is where the Holy Spirit meets us and speaks to us, if we can learn to listen.  Seeing what’s around you is the first step in listening.  



Combined with the habitual prayerful attitude in #1 above, we are made receptive for His prompts and inspirations.  It is surprising how often we tune out others as we go about “our” business.  There are so many missed opportunities in all of our present moments.



3)

Act upon any good impulse that pops into our mind as it occurs.



If we are diligent in #1 and #2 it will be amazing how many times #3 occurs in any given day.  Just a few examples that come to mind . . .

* One moment we might feel drawn to give a word of encouragement to someone who is feeling down.

* The next moment we might bite our tongue when that particularly troublesome co-worker rags on you again.

* A moment later, we praise God for a small act of virtue we see in this very same co-worker.

* Another moment, we stop our daydreaming to silently adore Him in our heart.

* The next moment, we “change the subject” of the train of thought going on in our mind when we recognize it has the potential to lead us to sin.

* The next moment we pick of that piece of trash in the parking lot instead of stepping over it.

* Another minute later, we smile and nod at a person passing our way.

* The next moment we say a silent prayer because someone we haven’t thought of in a long while popped into our mind.

* At another moment we pitch in and give a helping hand without being asked.

* Another moment, we give up our recreation and down time to spend time with a family member who needs us.

I could go on and on forever about these types of prompts and inspirations that have come to me sometimes several times a day, in the present moment.  But I think I’ve made my point.  We have to be persistent in prayer; focusing on God instead self will open our eyes to the needs of others.  We have to be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit; if what we feel called to is not sinful, it’s a safe bet that God is speaking to us.  We have to act; remember that not all of us are called to do the extraordinary.  But even small things can become extraordinary if they are done selflessly and with love.