I never had a father while growing up. So it was always difficult for me to think of God the Father, and whatever kind of good that entailed, because I didn’t really know. So now I try to imagine what I would want in a perfect father, and God is so much more than that! So much more, that I cannot even imagine.💕💜
I agree. Anyone can be a father but not anyone can parent children. A genuine father actively participates in the life of his children or creation regarding god. When we look at the world, violence, wars, corruption, has god been a father? I would suggest that the title father is just a title given to the diety but when we look at our lives and the world, we have to be honest with ourselves.
My many falls have been humiliating and difficult,but I look back and I can say that it is in those falls that I have learnt (and continue to learn ) Humility and most importantly rock bottom is where the abyss of Gods mercy kissed the abyss of my misery. Love is Mercy stopping down to misery and boy ,has the transforming, enduring unfathomable love of God met my misery . This love is what has made me love him more and brought me closer to him. It increased my desire to return love for love. Now I understand what it means when scripture says we can only love him because he loved us first. That love is what converts sinners, what has converted and still converting this sinner here (Me)I am so grateful for Gods intentional and constant love, and knowing that after every fall(because of my frailty I will fall again ) I can ,with Him,always begin again because he desires my sanctity even more than me and it gives me courage to keep going.Friends, come open. Let yourself be loved. Wounds that aren’t open will only fester and rot. Healing begins when the wound is open and thoroughly cleaned with a healing balm.
Beautifully said. To compliment what you said, I just listened to a priest online and he explained that when we accept Christ He comes inside us and abides in us but we must learn, in turn, to enter into Him and abide in Him as well. We do this when we make a decision to turn from sin and live to please Him. To love Him more than the pleasures of sin... Then, as He abides in us and we in Him, we begin to really KNOW HIM so that one day, He will not say those dreadful words at the end of our journey, “I never knew you”...
For those who were raised by abusive fathers, sometimes God looms overhead, like he's the scariest tyrant who can control you and punish you in all the ways your earthly father didn't have the power to. Certainly it's felt that way to me more than once. I think you've named a thing many survivors struggle with. Learning to distinguish what's really God's voice and what's the voice of my abuser trying to borrow God's authority has been the fight ever since childhood. Discerning the difference can be really hard when you were calibrated to register mistreatment and control as "love."
Too bad many parents focus so much on having their children obey and honor them that they rarely think or consider that perhaps their parenting methods are too harsh, controlling, or even abusive. To some parents, if a child is in error, they deserve punishment regardless of how mild or severe. Some people truly abuse their authority as parents.
@@kristinstrickland1038 Most parents probably won't think they are wrong. It is the child that is bad or wrong. As much as people complain about teenagers being jerks, I honestly think plenty of fully grown adults can be the same or even worst.
@@icyhugs Some cultures have no concept of child abuse. It is unfortunate. If a child does something wrong, they deserve severe punishment regardless of how mild the behavior was. I guess the goal is to nip the behavior in the bud.
I grew up with so much shame and guilt from my parents, due to alcoholism and feeling of hopelessness and anger about whole situation. And I realized how much it affected my relationship with Lord. I could not understand how he could love me if I did something wrong coz of the way my parents treated me.
It can be difficult to realize the Lord loves you amidst your sin. I will be honest and I have a tendency to dislike people who abuse God's mercy. Surely, none of us are perfect but that is no excuse to willingly remain in sin because you know God is forgiving and merciful. As for me, to the outside world, I am a good law-abiding citizen but I know the depths of the wickedness in my heart. It can be difficult to approach the Lord when I have such evil desires and thoughts. It can be painful handing over your life to God so He can heal you. Although I am NO SAINT, I too carry wounds from rejection, abuse, insults, etc. It can be hard to believe the Lord loves us in spite of our very human weaknesses.
That was quite good. I have two remarks to make though. A) This means that Jesus didn't change God's heart about us either. He could only change OUR heart towards God, if anything. And B) I really appreciate what you were saying and I'm really glad that someone put it into words so well. But one question about this - what do we do about God's abandonment? He left Jesus to die there and be mocked when He cried out to God and He left many, myself included, to rot in their pain and suffering precisely when we cried out to God and tried to get back to Him in the darkness. What do we do about this factual experience? God bless you and thank you for your message. 🙏🏼
As someone who has at times felt this way I feel confident that I may be able to answer your question. However, I would encourage you to get a second opinion preferably from a priest or a spiritual director. Jesus’ sacrifice was completely necessary, and he showed great humility in accepting his cross, a humility which contrasts the root of sin, Pride. In terms of why God allows us to suffer it is always for our good. Never to spite us or for revenge, but because we stand to learn something, gain something from the experience. Whether that be a humbling, whether that be being able to speak to others about the experience you had a bringing them back because of it. Whether it be because you will grow in virtue in some way as a result of your experience. For never does or allows anything without a purpose, and never without a good purpose. I recognize that it is hard sometimes for us a human beings to see the good in a situation or a good which may come out of it, but God is not malignant. If we believe that He is totally Good then we must believe that He only wishes our good. The process may be painful, but if we allow ourselves to give ourselves and our control up to God, rest assured that in the end it will all be worth it. Another purpose of suffering I forgot to mention is a premature cleansing of the temporal punishment which comes along with sin. The suffering you face, if suffered well, may result in a cleansing of the soul so that you may not spend as much time in purgatory after you have died.
From my past experiences, God doesn't abandon, we abandon Him. God sometimes permits evil for a greater good or because we choose the evil over Him (it's a mystery we as humans cannot fully comprehend), but He never leaves us. God is always there. In the midst of despair and utter loneliness and grief, He is there waiting to help if we only ask for it. I have struggled with Major Depressive Disorder for many years; I still do every once in a while. I felt hopeless and alone. I felt abandoned and empty. I thought that God must hate me for being such a worthless, sinful person. I struggled the point where it took everything I had just to survive the day. I hated/abhorred myself and I wanted to die. I used to say: "if I were another person, I would murder them (me.)" That's how much I hated myself. One night, I had planned how I was going to kill myself (prescription pills) and when (to ensure that no one would find me until I was dead.) I had the pills in my hands and counted them out. I stared at them in the palm of my hand for what seemed like an eternity. Just as I was about to go through with it, something got me to say, or taunt: "if you're there, do something. Do something." I said it sarcastically because I "knew" God wanted me to die. A moment later, I was overcome by some sort of power (I can't really explain it accurately.) I froze, paralyzed and dropped all of the pills in my hand. Then, there was a weight, a heaviness causing me to fall back and close my eyes. When I woke up it was morning. The pills were scattered all over my bed and on the floor. I woke up not feeling any different, but I had to admit it was the longest sleep I had in a long time. To be honest, I didn't change much after that, in fact it was 4 more years after that when I got better. Looking back, I *knew* that God was there with me. He was able to help me because maybe some part of me wanted to be saved or maybe because I asked Him to do something (gave Him permission.) Whatever the reason, God saved me, He never abandoned me. All I had to do was call for Him or permit Him to enter my life. It took 4 more years of struggling, then finally seeking help, I was even on anti-depressants for a while, and then I ultimately allowed God to heal me and love me the way I was meant to be loved. I still have regular counseling to make sure I don't back slide, but I can manage my MDD.
A lot of saints have felt what you feel this “dark night of the soul” coined by St. John of the Cross. Mother Teresa, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Faustina, St. John of the Cross are just some of the many saints who have gone through this. I know Fr. Mike Schmitz talks about it in one of his videos. It’s a part of purifying your soul if this is truly a dark night. Praying for you!
Other 2 things about Christ's abandonment shout are that it's part of a 'victory' psalm and (at leats in latin languages if I am not wrong) the verb is in the past tense
You guys are a wonderful couple and I have been a massive fan. If I ever had the chance to sit down with you for a coffee, I would ask how and why you decided to be part of the Word on Fire institute. I would also like to challenge you with some concerns around Bishop Baron and what you think about some of the things he said back which confuse me, outrage and cause me sometimes to question his TH-cam support by Catholics (such as his support for James Martin). If you could do a video on this, this would be wonderful. Thank you and God Bless!
There is another side to this. We can sometimes feel like when bad things happen to us it must be a punishment for something even if we aren’t necessarily sinning. It can create the feeling like ‘I must be doing something wrong’.
This idea crept in with Protestantism. I am glad Catholics believe in redemptive suffering. We don’t deserve a good life, we are not entitled to it. But I guess God often blesses in abundance and then there is hardship as well.
Like the feeling: "What did I do to deserve this?" It is important to assume responsibility for all aspects of our lives but it can be difficult to accept that some things that happen to us are truly out of our control and we did not do anything to warrant such suffering.
Here's a bit of a problem I have. My father wasn't a good man he was very nasty not very loving. I know Jesus is the exact opposite of my earthly father but I can't picture Him loving me with open arms. I don't know if this even makes sense but I don't know what to do with any of this. Any thoughts?
I can't say I know what you're going through but I've had similar experiences because my own earthly dad neglected me when growing up. One thing that helped me picture the love of God and of our Lord is praying via meditation. Have you heard of lectio divina? I typically do lectio divina which is reading a verse of scripture and then meditating on it. My confessor also advised me to gaze upon the crucifix multiple times a day and just adore it. I typically think about what Jesus must've felt like from the point of agony in the garden to his crucifixion (this helps me with meditation). I'll keep you in my prayers too.
My Friend we are all sinners. but if you live a Christ-Centered Life. The grace of God will continue to lead you on that narrow path. As someone who has been transformed by the mercy of God, I've seen God's grace in my life help remove many of my sins. And even in times when I fall back into them, The Lord is there to lift me out. May God bless you my friend. May you never lose hope. For the Lord Loves You so much that He gave his only son for You. God bless you! And Merry Christmas! For the Lord has come.
@@emilier.6780 Believe about what? That's a very broad question. I believe the earth is round, I believe the vaccines for Covid are safe and effective, I believe that if I get hit by a car, it could hurt and/or kill me, I believe my wife loves me. There's a lot of things I believe and a lot of things I don't believe. Pretty much, if there's compelling evidence for something (such as the things I listed above), I will (hopefully) believe it. If there isn't compelling evidence for something (such as the idea that there is a god of any sort), I won't (hopefully) believe it.
@@brianh870 hey! I was hoping to have a conversation as well, sorry for the delay in answering. I agree with you in believing in something if there's compelling evidence; based on your list, we have pretty similar beliefs other than my belief in God
This sounds a bit too close to the Protestant belief that the very moment an offense against God is committed, it is forgiven without the sinner expressing any remorse, or contrition, or even a moment of regret. Yes, certainly "God is love", but the speaker does not address the need to repair the breach in the relationship caused by sin. Isaiah 55:6-9 reminds us that we must express a desire to be reunited with Him.
I never had a father while growing up. So it was always difficult for me to think of God the Father, and whatever kind of good that entailed, because I didn’t really know. So now I try to imagine what I would want in a perfect father, and God is so much more than that! So much more, that I cannot even imagine.💕💜
I agree. Anyone can be a father but not anyone can parent children. A genuine father actively participates in the life of his children or creation regarding god. When we look at the world, violence, wars, corruption, has god been a father?
I would suggest that the title father is just a title given to the diety but when we look at our lives and the world, we have to be honest with ourselves.
This couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, thank you. Praise the Lord 🙏
My many falls have been humiliating and difficult,but I look back and I can say that it is in those falls that I have learnt (and continue to learn ) Humility and most importantly rock bottom is where the abyss of Gods mercy kissed the abyss of my misery. Love is Mercy stopping down to misery and boy ,has the transforming, enduring unfathomable love of God met my misery . This love is what has made me love him more and brought me closer to him. It increased my desire to return love for love. Now I understand what it means when scripture says we can only love him because he loved us first. That love is what converts sinners, what has converted and still converting this sinner here (Me)I am so grateful for Gods intentional and constant love, and knowing that after every fall(because of my frailty I will fall again ) I can ,with Him,always begin again because he desires my sanctity even more than me and it gives me courage to keep going.Friends, come open. Let yourself be loved. Wounds that aren’t open will only fester and rot. Healing begins when the wound is open and thoroughly cleaned with a healing balm.
Just heard this today during spiritual direction, and I paraphrase, "use sin to springboard into His arms".
Beautifully said. To compliment what you said, I just listened to a priest online and he explained that when we accept Christ He comes inside us and abides in us but we must learn, in turn, to enter into Him and abide in Him as well. We do this when we make a decision to turn from sin and live to please Him. To love Him more than the pleasures of sin... Then, as He abides in us and we in Him, we begin to really KNOW HIM so that one day, He will not say those dreadful words at the end of our journey, “I never knew you”...
For those who were raised by abusive fathers, sometimes God looms overhead, like he's the scariest tyrant who can control you and punish you in all the ways your earthly father didn't have the power to. Certainly it's felt that way to me more than once. I think you've named a thing many survivors struggle with. Learning to distinguish what's really God's voice and what's the voice of my abuser trying to borrow God's authority has been the fight ever since childhood. Discerning the difference can be really hard when you were calibrated to register mistreatment and control as "love."
“Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.”
Colossians 3:21
Too bad many parents focus so much on having their children obey and honor them that they rarely think or consider that perhaps their parenting methods are too harsh, controlling, or even abusive. To some parents, if a child is in error, they deserve punishment regardless of how mild or severe. Some people truly abuse their authority as parents.
@@IONov990 Tell that to the Chinese parents, sigh...
@@IONov990 Amen! Well-said!
@@kristinstrickland1038 Most parents probably won't think they are wrong. It is the child that is bad or wrong. As much as people complain about teenagers being jerks, I honestly think plenty of fully grown adults can be the same or even worst.
@@icyhugs Some cultures have no concept of child abuse. It is unfortunate. If a child does something wrong, they deserve severe punishment regardless of how mild the behavior was. I guess the goal is to nip the behavior in the bud.
I LOVE this woman's depth and heart ♥. What a deeply edifying truth to reflect on when we feel worthless and broken. Thank you so much Kim.
Thank you Kim, we need to remember the love of God every day
What a beautiful reminder....speechless! I hope we keep seeing more of you!
Great reflection and talk. You have a gift Kim, thank you and God bless!
I'm so glad to have you hear early in the morning about the love of God... wow... blessed...thank you
Wonderful message on Christ’s love for each of us and the importance of how our past can affect how we hear Christ.
Kim, thank you so much! 😇 Bless you.
Perfect timing, thank you.
Amen
I grew up with so much shame and guilt from my parents, due to alcoholism and feeling of hopelessness and anger about whole situation. And I realized how much it affected my relationship with Lord. I could not understand how he could love me if I did something wrong coz of the way my parents treated me.
Great message. Very balanced. Thank you, Kim!
It can be difficult to realize the Lord loves you amidst your sin. I will be honest and I have a tendency to dislike people who abuse God's mercy. Surely, none of us are perfect but that is no excuse to willingly remain in sin because you know God is forgiving and merciful. As for me, to the outside world, I am a good law-abiding citizen but I know the depths of the wickedness in my heart. It can be difficult to approach the Lord when I have such evil desires and thoughts. It can be painful handing over your life to God so He can heal you. Although I am NO SAINT, I too carry wounds from rejection, abuse, insults, etc. It can be hard to believe the Lord loves us in spite of our very human weaknesses.
Awesome stuff!! God is good! Always!! 🙏
Powerful message thank you Kim
Very good message
The Holy Spirit Convicts
not to be confused with
Satan who Condems
Thank you and God bless you
Thank you for your amazing explanation 🙏🏻
Thank you so so so much, My Father. I love you.
Well done! Kindness and lovingly explaining/knowing the wrong.
Coming from a scrupulous soul, this is very helpful. Thank you.
I thank you so much for this! Amen
Praise the lord thank you for explaining wonderful I'm very happy to hear u God bless you Amen Amen 🙏
Mom, wore the pants and dress in my life; she worked hard to provide, yet the softness was never there, she had to be tough!
This is great. Thank you.
That was quite good. I have two remarks to make though. A) This means that Jesus didn't change God's heart about us either. He could only change OUR heart towards God, if anything.
And B) I really appreciate what you were saying and I'm really glad that someone put it into words so well. But one question about this - what do we do about God's abandonment? He left Jesus to die there and be mocked when He cried out to God and He left many, myself included, to rot in their pain and suffering precisely when we cried out to God and tried to get back to Him in the darkness. What do we do about this factual experience?
God bless you and thank you for your message. 🙏🏼
I know what you are talking about. It can be so hard when we feel abandoned.
Praise God you are still here holding on..
As someone who has at times felt this way I feel confident that I may be able to answer your question. However, I would encourage you to get a second opinion preferably from a priest or a spiritual director. Jesus’ sacrifice was completely necessary, and he showed great humility in accepting his cross, a humility which contrasts the root of sin, Pride. In terms of why God allows us to suffer it is always for our good. Never to spite us or for revenge, but because we stand to learn something, gain something from the experience. Whether that be a humbling, whether that be being able to speak to others about the experience you had a bringing them back because of it. Whether it be because you will grow in virtue in some way as a result of your experience. For never does or allows anything without a purpose, and never without a good purpose. I recognize that it is hard sometimes for us a human beings to see the good in a situation or a good which may come out of it, but God is not malignant. If we believe that He is totally Good then we must believe that He only wishes our good. The process may be painful, but if we allow ourselves to give ourselves and our control up to God, rest assured that in the end it will all be worth it. Another purpose of suffering I forgot to mention is a premature cleansing of the temporal punishment which comes along with sin. The suffering you face, if suffered well, may result in a cleansing of the soul so that you may not spend as much time in purgatory after you have died.
From my past experiences, God doesn't abandon, we abandon Him. God sometimes permits evil for a greater good or because we choose the evil over Him (it's a mystery we as humans cannot fully comprehend), but He never leaves us. God is always there. In the midst of despair and utter loneliness and grief, He is there waiting to help if we only ask for it.
I have struggled with Major Depressive Disorder for many years; I still do every once in a while. I felt hopeless and alone. I felt abandoned and empty. I thought that God must hate me for being such a worthless, sinful person. I struggled the point where it took everything I had just to survive the day. I hated/abhorred myself and I wanted to die. I used to say: "if I were another person, I would murder them (me.)" That's how much I hated myself.
One night, I had planned how I was going to kill myself (prescription pills) and when (to ensure that no one would find me until I was dead.) I had the pills in my hands and counted them out. I stared at them in the palm of my hand for what seemed like an eternity. Just as I was about to go through with it, something got me to say, or taunt: "if you're there, do something. Do something." I said it sarcastically because I "knew" God wanted me to die.
A moment later, I was overcome by some sort of power (I can't really explain it accurately.) I froze, paralyzed and dropped all of the pills in my hand. Then, there was a weight, a heaviness causing me to fall back and close my eyes.
When I woke up it was morning. The pills were scattered all over my bed and on the floor. I woke up not feeling any different, but I had to admit it was the longest sleep I had in a long time. To be honest, I didn't change much after that, in fact it was 4 more years after that when I got better.
Looking back, I *knew* that God was there with me. He was able to help me because maybe some part of me wanted to be saved or maybe because I asked Him to do something (gave Him permission.) Whatever the reason, God saved me, He never abandoned me. All I had to do was call for Him or permit Him to enter my life. It took 4 more years of struggling, then finally seeking help, I was even on anti-depressants for a while, and then I ultimately allowed God to heal me and love me the way I was meant to be loved. I still have regular counseling to make sure I don't back slide, but I can manage my MDD.
A lot of saints have felt what you feel this “dark night of the soul” coined by St. John of the Cross. Mother Teresa, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Faustina, St. John of the Cross are just some of the many saints who have gone through this. I know Fr. Mike Schmitz talks about it in one of his videos. It’s a part of purifying your soul if this is truly a dark night. Praying for you!
Other 2 things about Christ's abandonment shout are that it's part of a 'victory' psalm and (at leats in latin languages if I am not wrong) the verb is in the past tense
Thankyou for this. I needed to hear this. God bless 🙏 you
Thank you, God bless you...🌺
Could You please pray for me? My name is Iza. God bless You Happy Lord made me find this Channel
Amen, sister! ❤️🙏🏻
Amen - preach it!🙏❤️
You guys are a wonderful couple and I have been a massive fan. If I ever had the chance to sit down with you for a coffee, I would ask how and why you decided to be part of the Word on Fire institute. I would also like to challenge you with some concerns around Bishop Baron and what you think about some of the things he said back which confuse me, outrage and cause me sometimes to question his TH-cam support by Catholics (such as his support for James Martin). If you could do a video on this, this would be wonderful. Thank you and God Bless!
When has Bishop Barron ever supported Father Martin?
PLEASE PRAY FOR MY SPIRIT. THANK YOU!
Amen sis
Beautiful Kim
There is another side to this. We can sometimes feel like when bad things happen to us it must be a punishment for something even if we aren’t necessarily sinning. It can create the feeling like ‘I must be doing something wrong’.
This idea crept in with Protestantism. I am glad Catholics believe in redemptive suffering. We don’t deserve a good life, we are not entitled to it. But I guess God often blesses in abundance and then there is hardship as well.
Like the feeling: "What did I do to deserve this?" It is important to assume responsibility for all aspects of our lives but it can be difficult to accept that some things that happen to us are truly out of our control and we did not do anything to warrant such suffering.
We aren't God we are a part of God. God knows all. We have learn his teachings for he is all forgiving.
Like God no one love us I love u lord pls cover me with your son Jesus precious blood Amen
The sheep is never far from the Shepard.
Love you sis
Christ sacrificial death on the cross ensures forgiveness of sins through his merciful heart for all believers in God's message.
Eu tenho que aprender esse inglês, se não no próximo inverno vou passa fome hahahahhaha
When I saw the thumbnail, I thought Kim was Kristen Wiig in another video to promote Wonder Woman 1984 haha
Here's a bit of a problem I have. My father wasn't a good man he was very nasty not very loving. I know Jesus is the exact opposite of my earthly father but I can't picture Him loving me with open arms. I don't know if this even makes sense but I don't know what to do with any of this. Any thoughts?
I can't say I know what you're going through but I've had similar experiences because my own earthly dad neglected me when growing up. One thing that helped me picture the love of God and of our Lord is praying via meditation. Have you heard of lectio divina? I typically do lectio divina which is reading a verse of scripture and then meditating on it. My confessor also advised me to gaze upon the crucifix multiple times a day and just adore it. I typically think about what Jesus must've felt like from the point of agony in the garden to his crucifixion (this helps me with meditation). I'll keep you in my prayers too.
@@phine999 ok. I'll give this a try. And thank you 😊
I am a sinner, pray for us most holy Mother Mary, Theotokos, Mater Dei Sancta Maria.
My Friend we are all sinners. but if you live a Christ-Centered Life. The grace of God will continue to lead you on that narrow path. As someone who has been transformed by the mercy of God, I've seen God's grace in my life help remove many of my sins. And even in times when I fall back into them, The Lord is there to lift me out. May God bless you my friend. May you never lose hope. For the Lord Loves You so much that He gave his only son for You. God bless you! And Merry Christmas! For the Lord has come.
[♾️⁷] Jesus is LORD WOOHOO!
I'm so glad I no longer have these ridiculous beliefs such as the concept of "sin" and "god".
What do you believe? (Genuinely just wondering)
@@emilier.6780 Believe about what? That's a very broad question. I believe the earth is round, I believe the vaccines for Covid are safe and effective, I believe that if I get hit by a car, it could hurt and/or kill me, I believe my wife loves me. There's a lot of things I believe and a lot of things I don't believe. Pretty much, if there's compelling evidence for something (such as the things I listed above), I will (hopefully) believe it. If there isn't compelling evidence for something (such as the idea that there is a god of any sort), I won't (hopefully) believe it.
@@emilier.6780 I was hoping you might want to have a conversation.
@@brianh870 hey! I was hoping to have a conversation as well, sorry for the delay in answering. I agree with you in believing in something if there's compelling evidence; based on your list, we have pretty similar beliefs other than my belief in God
Your original comment makes me wonder, did you used to believe in God and sin?
♡♡♡
They both neglected me.
African parents don't do the "go to your room thing". There's a mixture of reprimand, punishment, and straight up flogging.
♥️🙏🏻🫶🏻
This sounds a bit too close to the Protestant belief that the very moment an offense against God is committed, it is forgiven without the sinner expressing any remorse, or contrition, or even a moment of regret.
Yes, certainly "God is love", but the speaker does not address the need to repair the breach in the relationship caused by sin. Isaiah 55:6-9 reminds us that we must express a desire to be reunited with Him.
AFGO