Lessons in the Midst of My Daily Life

Oh my, have this feeling of emptiness for no reason at all. Weird me!

I do have some pending concerns, but I trust that God will soon resolve those. I lack my usual energy and enthusiasm, though early this morning, after mass, I made an effort to be cheerful ... singing a song - "seek 'ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you . . .

I went about completing my errands, drove around and ended up entering a church and kneeling on the light blue pillow provided in front of the altar and of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The kneeler is somehow connected to the image of our Lady by a light blue ribbon. While in prayer, looking up, one pleads, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee".

Then, I went to the image of St. Nicholas de Bari and said the intercession prayer. He is the patron saint of seafarers, children, business men and women, students, the youth, the poor, the falsely accused, the sick and those in difficult situations.

Lastly, I went to a large (bigger than the life-sized) crucified Christ and meditated on His Holy wounds. I also saw the super-sized frame of the Divine Mercy and said the chaplet (the prayer written at the bottom, though I know this by heart, due to the many favors I have asked and granted in the past).

I decided to make a candle offering, but there were no candles and I had no money. I searched from my wallet and found a couple of coins. I lighted a half-melted candle. I searched again for other left-over candles that may be re-used, and to my surprise found a new one.

I suddenly remembered Paolo Coehlo's words "He had not a cent in his pocket, but he had faith."

And you know what, by the end of the day, my anxieties "melt like wax". This is why I write to give "thanks".

Today, I learned the value of open churches, sacred images and ready "recite-able" prayers. For when I can't help feeling low, and without that spark to go to Him to "chat". I somehow did go.

Human Mistakes, Sharing on Mistakes Made

Me? I use my sons’ magic sketchpad. Okay, it’s a toy. But I love this toy. My boys and I would sit on the couch and doodle for hours. Together, we’ve drawn literally thousands of sketches. We’ve created entire worlds and galaxies together. Roller coasters, spaceships, rockets, monsters, aliens—you name it, we drew it.

Here’s why I love this toy. When I make a mistake, I don’t get angry. I don’t curse myself. I don’t condemn myself. I simply pull the eraser button and draw again. Which is what we’re supposed to do in life.

I’ve met some people who think that just because they’ve made mistakes, just because they made bad choices, God won’t bless them anymore. Hey, we’ve all made mistakes.

Perhaps you gave yourself to addictions. Perhaps you were a rebellious child and made your parents unhappy. Perhaps you married the wrong person. Perhaps you didn’t raise up your kids well. Perhaps you made poor financial decisions.

I want to give you hope today. Your future is brighter than your past. How do I know? Because God’s plan is bigger than your mistakes. Your mistakes are no match to God’s great plans to bless your life.

Have you missed your chance at a happy and blessed life? Meet the God of second chances. “You’re wrong. God has a great plan to bless your life. And He has many ways to make this great plan a reality. You made a detour. But that doesn’t mean you no longer can receive His abundant blessing.”

“If you read the Bible, you’ll realize that the biggest stars were the biggest sinners. They’ve fumbled big time. But God’s love is bigger! And God gave them a second chance. And a third chance. And a fourth chance. He will never stop giving you a chance to live a life of happiness and abundance.” I share a powerful Bible verse: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

God wants you to go to Him with confidence. With boldness. Boldly pray for God’s abundance.

Friend, God loves you. He wants to bless you with great relationships and great people. Because His plan to bless you is bigger than all your mistakes.

Dear friend, God hasn’t given up on you. So don’t give up on yourself. And God hasn’t given up on your destiny. So don’t give up on yours!

Some of you may say, “But Bo, I’ve messed up. I’ve missed God’s best plans for my life.” I say No. Believe that the best is yet to come. And always remember, God’s plan is bigger than all your mistakes put together.

I wrote a special declaration for you to say below. Say it with all your heart. Confess your faith. Let your words define your reality:

“I may have messed up, but this is temporary. I may have made mistakes in the past, but my future is brighter than my past. Today, I come boldly into God’s presence to receive mercy. I reject condemnation. Because of God’s mercy, my best blessings are yet to come. Each day is a new beginning for me. Each day, I shall live a new life. Each day, I shall live in abundance. Each day, I shall walk in God’s favor. Amen!”

May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez