God's Plan for Us

As many of you know I had the good fortune to know Bernadette Roberts for at least 30 years, attend her retreats, study and help with her books, and got to know her as personally as was possible to know someone with no self. She was not my, or anyone else’s, teacher. She never let people relate to her as teacher. Anyone who gets between you and God, however well intended, will have to be removed at some point; all spiritual direction ultimately comes from God. This doesn’t mean we don’t learn from others, or that God doesn’t send people into our lives to inspire and motivate us – God sends everything in our lives to do exactly that. But we can never let anyone come between us and God, however benign their expressed purpose. 

Since I want to respect her wishes that her letters never be published, I will tell you that we did had the following conversation: Me: “But many times you wrote or said things that were very helpful and I believe they would help others as well.” Bernadette: “Then tell them you said it.” This is a sort of permission to share a few paraphrased brief versions of her unpublished remarks, with the meaning unchanged. Like the ones this week.

God’s Plan for Each of Us

When God created us, there was some sort of outline for our life, a plan, and you can either fulfill that and go along with God, or you can spend your whole life fighting against what God has ordained for you.  In death, you no longer have a say, it is going to be. Your only choice is to either go merrily on your way or to go kicking and screaming.   

Paraphrased from Personal Letter