by Kevin Graves, ISP San Diego 

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

I heard this scripture and was moved spiritually in a mighty way.

Listen, when a person becomes a believer, the spirit is made right, but sometimes the heart, soul, and mind are a little slow getting the message. This is because life has left a hole in them, due to abuse, low self-esteem, addiction, mental and physical illness, and loneliness. But I can say from my own experience that God comes to heal the holes in our souls.

For more years than I care to mention, I lived in the darkness of alcoholism, homelessness, and numerous incarcerations. I had been a part of many programs. Hope was nowhere to be found, let alone joy. Ironically, I come from a strong faith-based family. Even in my darkness, I still had the love of my beautiful wife, family, and some of my children. 

Then that miraculously-granted moment of silencing my addictions came and I was able to hear what I perceived to be God’s voice of comfort. I was able to see hope in His loving and merciful graces that became tangible. Peace became a joy for my heart, soul, and mind.  

A year and a half ago, God sent a group of loving vessels to the shelter I resided within. They came with a life-changing message and hearts afire wanting to share a program called ISP (Ignatian Spirituality Project). One of the group’s leaders was Larry. Through God’s love, Larry has now guided me to become an ISP volunteer. Through God’s guidance I have since reached out to others through spiritual reflections and retreats, exclaiming peaceful joy through the ISP message. Just as Jesus appeared to the disciples in the Resurrection and “then he opened their minds to understand at last these many Scriptures,” (Luke 24:45), I have heard the joyful word in the Scriptures and can likewise share it with others.

Reflection Questions: What resonates with you in today’s reflection – a word, phrase, or image? Where have you found peace and joy in adversity?

Kevin attended his first ISP retreat in 2022 and then became a retreat witness and facilitator. He is first and foremost a true believer in Christ Jesus. He retired from his work as a case manager for the homeless and now spends his time as a devoted husband, father and grandpa and loves being a humble volunteer in the San Diego ISP team community. He absolutely loves people!