Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
In All Things

How Do You Find God in Tough Times?

James Martin, S.J.January 07, 2010

Look backward.

When God seems asleep in our lives, or not present, or when we want to say "Don't you care?" sometimes it's best to look backwards and see where God has already been. Looking for God in the past helps you trust that God is with you in the present, and will be in your future, too. No matter how stormy life gets. 

Check out the rest on Beliefnet.

James Martin, SJ 

Show Comments (
2
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
14 years 5 months ago
Great reminder. " Life must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards ".

Soren Kierkegaard
Margaret Riordan
14 years 5 months ago
I'm not sure that looking back to the past is the best place for all of us to find God, especially those of us who had some kind of trauma in childhood and teen years, eg facing the loss of parents. I was one who screamed out to God as a teen for help when my parents died, and it was difficult to believe that any help came. It is only now, decades later, that I can see how fortunate I was that several good people who were believers in God took me under their wings.
For me, it is easier to find God in a place that might be strange for others..... I see Jesus more as a companion on a walk into the forest and mountains where difficulties and joys might lie in wait.

Most popular

1
Blessed Carlo Acutis is set to become the first millennial saint. This isn’t the first time the Catholic Church has canonized children.
Joanne M. Pierce
2
Democrats: If you respect voters, replace Joe Biden
Robert David Sullivan
3
Catholic Movie Club: Why do we glorify ‘The Godfather’?
John Dougherty
4
How discerning the priesthood has helped me live life more fully
Jack Figge
5
Pope Francis’ top abuse advisor asks Vatican to stop using disgraced former Jesuit Marko Rupnik’s art
Colleen Dulle

Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more.

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology
Seminaries & Theology Studies
Director of Music Ministry
Jobs
Catholic Charities – We Are There When You Need Us 
“Our Hope is in Christ” USCCA International Conference August 2-4, 2024 @ DePaul University – Register today!
Conferences, Events
The Journey Continues – Ongoing Supervision and Education for Practicing Spiritual Directors
Spiritual Resources
See all Classifieds

The latest from america

Conservatives are racing toward a catastrophic defeat in U.K.’s July 4 election
Some polls are going as far to predict that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak might lose his own seat on July 4. He would be the first Conservative prime minister to suffer such a humiliation.
David StewartJuly 01, 2024
How the Eucharistic Revival can help us love God more deeply
“The Eucharist is the food that makes us hungry,” says Eucharistic Revival preacher Joe Laramie, S.J., so when he preaches, he hopes to stir his congregation “to deeper hunger for the Lord, to grow in deeper devotion to him.”
PreachJuly 01, 2024
Vatican’s first-ever auditor general accuses Cardinal Becciu and the old guard of framing him and deceiving Pope Francis
The Vatican’s first auditor general, Libero Milone, who was forced to resign in June 2017, claims he was framed and says Pope Francis was deceived by Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
Gerard O’ConnellJuly 01, 2024
The lie that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute persisted for centuries. A new play reclaims her story.
"Magdalene: I am the utterance of my name" is advocating for setting the record straight on one of Christianity’s most vital disciples.
Michael O’BrienJune 28, 2024