Flower of Devotion

On one occasion, when St. Gertrude accused herself before the Lord of having encouraged others to do a good deed and had made up her mind to do it herself, but while she was instructing others, she herself had failed to carry out her purpose, the Lord Jesus said to her:
“I am satisfied with your good will, because it is the natural consequence of my goodness. If a man has a perfect good will to do something good, I accept that will as if it were a done deed, and I reward it in the same way, if only human weakness or impossibility prevented the accomplishment of the intention made.