Good things now, please!

My favorite reading for this season is from Isaiah 11:1-5:

A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land's afflicted....

What caught my eye in this reading is the verse about judging the poor with justice....

I see this as a testament to the inner life. I believe God is not so concerned about appearance, such as in how many times I visit the church, or how many prayers I say, as important as they are. Because I can do all of those things and still fail in the most important task, my inner life.

I believe God is more concerned with my inward spirit, at how I accept, believe, and forgive; at how I battle my own inner doubts, at how I accept life as it really is. I am led to believe that when I am feeling less than I want to be (the meaning of poor), God is there with "justice" (translated....good things).

I like to think of this justice as, hang on because I will make things good for you in time. In fact, I often remind God of the things I've gone though for love of God and would like my good things now. Please.

I like to talk to God like that. I don't think God minds. In fact, if I am anything like God, I rather like it when a child looks at me and says, "I did what you asked. I waited for my turn. Where's my prize?"

Because I have learned not to wait for heaven for my reward. I believe when Catherine of Siena said, "All the way to heaven is heaven," she was encouraging us to  be bold and ask for good things now.

So I am taking this truth to heart. I believe God looks at my poverty with a desire to give. And often, and I mean often, I turn towards God with my trusting hands held high and open and say, "Okay, I'm here. Let it pour out because I am open to accept it!"