I rarely share personal matters, mainly because of privacy concerns. Another reason is that I do not feel my personal experiences have much public relevance or that they are worth taking up other people’s time and attention. Recently, however, there have been some changes in my personal life, which have also led me to reflect more deeply on my spiritual journey and faith. Therefore, I would like to make an exception and share a little of my experience — not only as an encouragement to others, but also as a record of my own spiritual journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, I am fully aware that the \u201cdifficulties\u201d I have encountered may seem insignificant compared with the hardships that many others endure. This reflection is not intended to compare suffering, but simply to share my own experience of faith and how God has been working in my life. I hope that it may encourage fellow believers who are facing their own struggles to place their trust in God and rely on Him during times of uncertainty and hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As some of you may know, I previously worked at a well-known Marian shrine here in the United Kingdom. However, I resigned from my position almost three months ago due to personal circumstances. At present, I am unemployed and have spent the past few months searching for a suitable position. Unfortunately, the modern workplace can often be discouraging: having the necessary skills and abilities does not always guarantee job security, nor does it mean that finding a new role will happen quickly. In many cases, if a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is not written in the right way, it may be filtered out by an automated screening system before it even reaches a human recruiter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another challenge I have faced is related to accommodation. During my employment at the Marian shrine, I was provided with accommodation as part of my position. However, after my resignation, I needed to move out and find a place to stay. Over the past few months, I have stayed in three different places, and my savings have gradually been running low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, one of my friends kindly offered me a temporary place to stay during this transition period. I am deeply grateful for his generosity and support. However, I also understand that this arrangement cannot continue indefinitely, and therefore I need to take immediate action to find both suitable employment and stable accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through this experience, I have come to realize that, without God working behind the scenes, all our efforts are ultimately in vain. As Christians, when we encounter difficulties, our responsibility is to faithfully do what we can, while entrusting everything beyond our control to God and placing our complete trust in Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God allows difficulties to enter our lives not only so that we may know intellectually that we should trust Him, but also so that we may truly accept in our hearts that He is the Lord of every aspect of our lives. Sometimes we may understand with our minds that we need to rely on God, but it is only when we encounter real challenges that we gradually learn to surrender everything into His hands. Through these moments of uncertainty and weakness, God patiently teaches us to deepen our faith and to recognize His presence more fully in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was reminded of these deeply reflective words from Psalm 126:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nNisi Dominus aedificaverit donum,
in vanum laboraverunt qui \u00e6dificant eam.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNisi Dominus custodierit civitatem,
frustravigilat, qui custodit eam.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUnless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nUnless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nAs Christians, we do not need to go searching for crosses to bear, because different kinds of crosses will naturally appear at various moments throughout our lives. Our calling is not to seek out suffering, but rather, when the cross comes, to embrace it with the spirit of Christ and to walk through it with faith, hope, and trust in God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I once heard someone say: \u201cPrayer is not merely something we do; rather, it is the foundation upon which we build our daily lives.\u201d As for how much we are able to offer, God understands both our intentions and our limitations. With this in mind, I have continued to shape my daily routine around prayer as much as possible. After all, prayer should not simply be another activity added to our schedule; it should become a way of life and an attitude that transforms the way we see and experience the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking back on the different stages of my life, I have come to realize that many experiences which once seemed painful, disappointing, or even meaningless later became valuable gifts and sources of growth. If we believe that Christ reveals His saving work through the journey of our lives, then even the hardships we encounter are not without meaning, even though we may not yet understand their purpose. Even now, there are still many difficulties in my life that I do not fully understand, and I know that different forms of suffering may arise again in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, through this period of difficulty and struggle, I have come to recognize that there are many people around me who are willing to share my emotional and spiritual burdens. Their kindness and support have reminded me that God often works through the people He places in our lives. More importantly, I have learned to place a deeper trust in God. I have come to understand that transforming \u201ctrust in God\u201d from merely an intellectual belief into a way of life is itself an important part of our spiritual journey. I hope that, when the next difficulty arises in my life, I will be able to face it with a heart that relies on God more completely, with greater peace and confidence in His providence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWhen God closes a door, He always opens a window.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
This motivational phrases reminds me that no matter how difficult my current situation may be, God is always with me. Even when I cannot see the way forward, I believe that He continues to guide me and provide opportunities according to His providence. This gives me the strength to remain hopeful and to trust that every challenge can become part of His greater plan for my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I specially pray that those who are experiencing the pains and struggles of life may receive the love, support, and encouragement of their families and friends. May they also find priests, religious brothers and sisters, and spiritual companions who can accompany them and offer guidance, comfort, and strength in both emotional and spiritual ways. Above all, may they gradually come to recognize, through the difficulties they face, the saving work that God is patiently and lovingly carrying out in each of our lives. May our struggles become opportunities to grow in faith, deepen our relationship with God, and discover His presence even in the midst of suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To conclude this reflection, I humbly ask for your prayers as I continue this difficult journey. Through the intercession of Our Lady, the Untier of Knots, together with St. Josemar\u00eda Escriv\u00e1, may I be guided to find a suitable job through which I can glorify God and serve Him through my daily work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pray that I may remain faithful to God\u2019s divine will and continue to trust in His providence throughout this difficult and challenging journey. May I always have the grace to follow His guidance and remain steadfast in faith! Amen!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I rarely share personal matters, mainly because of privacy concerns. Another reason is that I do not feel my personal experiences have much public relevance or that they are worth taking up other people’s time and attention. Recently, however, there have been some changes in my personal life, which have also led me to reflect more deeply on my spiritual journey and faith. Therefore, I would like to make an exception and share a little of my experience — not only as an encouragement to others, but also as a record of my own spiritual journey. Of course, I am fully aware that the \u201cdifficulties\u201d I have encountered may seem insignificant compared with the hardships that many others endure. This reflection is not intended to compare suffering, but simply to share my own experience of faith and how God has been working in my life. I hope that it may encourage fellow believers who are facing their own struggles to place their trust in God and rely on Him during times of uncertainty and hardship. As some of you may know, I previously worked at a well-known Marian shrine here in the United Kingdom. However, I resigned from my position almost three months ago due to personal circumstances. At present, I am unemployed and have spent the past few months searching for a suitable position. Unfortunately, the modern workplace can often be discouraging: having the necessary skills and abilities does not always guarantee job security, nor does it mean that finding a new role will happen quickly. In many cases, if a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is not written in the right way, it may be filtered out by an automated screening system before it even reaches a human recruiter. Another challenge I have faced is related to accommodation. During my employment at the Marian shrine, I was provided with accommodation as part of my position. However, after my resignation, I needed to move out and find a place to stay. Over the past few months, I have stayed in three different places, and my savings have gradually been running low. Thankfully, one of my friends kindly offered me a temporary place to stay during this transition period. I am deeply grateful for his generosity and support. However, I also understand that this arrangement cannot continue indefinitely, and therefore I need to take immediate action to find both suitable employment and stable accommodation. Through this experience, I have come to realize that, without God working behind the scenes, all our efforts are ultimately in vain. As Christians, when we encounter difficulties, our responsibility is to faithfully do what we can, while entrusting everything beyond our control to God and placing our complete trust in Him. God allows difficulties to enter our lives not only so that we may know intellectually that we should trust Him, but also so that we may truly accept in our hearts that He is the Lord of every aspect of our lives. Sometimes we may understand with our minds that we need to rely on God, but it is only when we encounter real challenges that we gradually learn to surrender everything into His hands. Through these moments of uncertainty and weakness, God patiently teaches us to deepen our faith and to recognize His presence more fully in our lives. I was reminded of these deeply reflective words from Psalm 126: Nisi Dominus aedificaverit donum,in vanum laboraverunt qui \u00e6dificant eam. Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem,frustravigilat, qui custodit eam. Unless the Lord builds the house,the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city,the guards stand watch in vain. As Christians, we do not need to go searching for crosses to bear, because different kinds of crosses will naturally appear at various moments throughout our lives. Our calling is not to seek out suffering, but rather, when the cross comes, to embrace it with the spirit of Christ and to walk through it with faith, hope, and trust in God. I once heard someone say: \u201cPrayer is not merely something we do; rather, it is the foundation upon which we build our daily lives.\u201d As for how much we are able to offer, God understands both our intentions and our limitations. With this in mind, I have continued to shape my daily routine around prayer as much as possible. After all, prayer should not simply be another activity added to our schedule; it should become a way of life and an attitude that transforms the way we see and experience the world. Looking back on the different stages of my life, I have come to realize that many experiences which once seemed painful, disappointing, or even meaningless later became valuable gifts and sources of growth. If we believe that Christ reveals His saving work through the journey of our lives, then even the hardships we encounter are not without meaning, even though we may not yet understand their purpose. Even now, there are still many difficulties in my life that I do not fully understand, and I know that different forms of suffering may arise again in the future. Yet, through this period of difficulty and struggle, I have come to recognize that there are many people around me who are willing to share my emotional and spiritual burdens. Their kindness and support have reminded me that God often works through the people He places in our lives. More importantly, I have learned to place a deeper trust in God. I have come to understand that transforming \u201ctrust in God\u201d from merely an intellectual belief into a way of life is itself an important part of our spiritual journey. I hope that, when the next difficulty arises in my life, I will be able to face it with a heart that relies on God more completely, with greater peace and confidence in His providence. \u201cWhen God closes a door, He always opens a window.\u201d This motivational phrases reminds me that no matter how difficult my current situation may be, God is always with me. Even when I cannot see the way forward, I believe that He continues to guide me and provide opportunities according to His providence. This gives me the strength to remain hopeful and to trust that every challenge can become part of His greater plan for my life. I specially pray that those who are experiencing the pains and struggles of life may receive the love, support, and encouragement of their families and friends. May they also find priests, religious brothers and sisters, and spiritual companions who can accompany them and offer guidance, comfort, and strength in both emotional and spiritual ways. Above all, may they gradually come to recognize, through the difficulties they face, the saving work that God is patiently and lovingly carrying out in each of our lives. May our struggles become opportunities to grow in faith, deepen our relationship with God, and discover His presence even in the midst of suffering. To conclude this reflection, I humbly ask for your prayers as I continue this difficult journey. Through the intercession of Our Lady, the Untier of Knots, together with St. Josemar\u00eda Escriv\u00e1, may I be guided to find a suitable job through which I can glorify God and serve Him through my daily work. I pray that I may remain faithful to God\u2019s divine will and continue to trust in His providence throughout this difficult and challenging journey. May I always have the grace to follow His guidance and remain steadfast in faith! Amen!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal","category-reflections-and-musings"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Woodrow-Kroll-Quote-God-Opens-Windows.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=751"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":763,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions\/763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavezpoon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}