There's Only Grace

Surrender.

This word has been constantly replaying in my heart and my head for the last few weeks. Currently, I seem to have mush in the part of my brain that's able to form actual explanatory thoughts, so if you want to hear about what's been going on, feel free to ask-maybe I'll post more eventually. But here's a quick sum-up:

• God is ridiculously, awesomely, wonderfully great.


• We aren't.


• Give it up...and by "it," I mean everything.


• Only grace will remain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKL0QB-_ho0

May you continually strive and pray for the grace necessary to surrender. Peace.

Searching for Peace

First day of my senior year.....welcome back to reality! I was a little (or a lot) scared to go back to that place. I'm not too big a fan of high school in general, and when I left a few months ago for summer, I was NOT in a good place. However, this summer I was opened to receive and was blessed with soooo much grace. The last few months, I've been learning about things a little more important than chemistry and calculus ;) So I figured my first day back would be fairly difficult and challenging in itself. Instead, I had a great day, walking very closely by His side.

I am known to worry: BAD. It seems like I'm constantly doing something; always focusing on what I still need to get done instead of what I've actually accomplished. I just assumed I would start out this year no different-worrying about homework, friends, clubs, and little sister chauffer times. God pleasantly surprised me! While going for my morning walk and praying a rosary, He reminded me of something I heard a while back: Peace is not the absence of conflict.

The school year is definitly a time when peace can be hard to find. It seems there are an infinite number of things to get done RIGHT NOW, no time to actually do them, and a lack of faithful friends close at hand to remind us whose glory we're working for. It's tough-that's a fact. But it's also packed with opportunities: to grow in our faith by relying on God instead of others, to make connections with new people, to learn about our world, and to spread His Love to those who need it most.

No matter what we go through, we should take comfort in the thought that there is more. We should breathe easier knowing that this war that we're fighting is only a part of a near invisible dot on the scale of eternity. Beyond all the chemistry tests, club meetings, sports practices, hectic work schedules, and relationship problems, there is something beautiful and awe-inspiring. There is PEACE.But it doesn't just happen. We are all striving for it-and we will continue to do so daily for the rest of our lives. I mean, we are human, after all ;)

We must pray for the grace and the courage to find peace. Because being peaceful means that in the midst of studying for our finals, planning our upcoming work week, fighting with friends, and fighting a headache,we take a moment to breathe. It means that we stop going crazy for thirty seconds to thank our Lord and let Him know He's done good work; even if it doesn't seem like it to us at the time. Peacefulness is knowing that every trial and suffering we encounter-great or small, overcome or not-can be offered up in order to make a difference somehow.

Peacefulness is more than just being calm, quiet, and serene. Peacefulness consists of being graceful enough to go joyfully and fearlessly through this life, knowing that we are a small dot on the scale of eternity, and that the best we have been created for is yet to come.

May you always be courageous in your search, and remember that we have been made for more. Peace!

No Reservations

Reservation: the act of keeping back, withholding, or setting apart.

We reserve lots of things. We set aside a table at our favorite restaraunt, we keep back what we really want to say to that person who's annoying us, and we withhold the best Halloween candy from our siblings so that we can get our favorite pieces of chocolate. But how often do we reserve pieces of our own heart, trying to hide ourselves from Him?

These past few weeks have been kind of tough for me. I've been working on finding the strength of heart necessary to love out my faith where I'm at in my life. Because of various conflicts in the forms of conference-like weekends, and various conflicts within myself, tonight was the first time I'd been to mass in 3 weeks. Now a year ago, that would have sounded like nothing to me. But as I continue to delve deeper into this beautiful faith, I found myself yearning for that contact. I found myself striving for the grace and the peace that I'm beginning to find in the mass. Tonight, as I came out of that beautiful prayer, my soul was filled with grace and my head was filled with this thought:

He gives Himself to us wholly; with no reservations, only love.

Christ gave Himself in the form of His body when He died on the cross for us. But His Love doesn't stop there. He gives His entire self to each one of us. Every second of every day, we are being showered upon by The Spirit because He gives. We have been blessed with the sacraments, and the wonderful opportunities they provide for us to grow in our faith. We are even able to consume His body and blood in the Eucharist, becoming physically one with Our Lord.

He gives us His entire being. Whether it be in the obvious form of the Eucharist, or in a much-needed conversation with a good friend, we continually recieve the graces provided for us. But what do we provide in return? We are not worthy of the gifts we've been given, nor will we ever be. But that shouldn't stop us from giving back. We don't really deserve to get gifts on our birthday, but we receive them anyways, don't we? And in return, we at least say a simple "Thank you," right? Say a simple thank you to Our Lord. Give of yourself in everything you do, no matter the size. Pray, fast, walk, run, talk, think, and act FOR HIM. In giving of ourselves, we can't help but be completely filled by the fullness of His grace.

"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." ~Romans 11:33

Give with no reservations.

May you find joy in giving, and may Momma Mary hold you forever in her arms. Peace!

Every Time You Run

So I can't get my thoughts organized enough to write any sort of post right now, so here is a link to the song that's been on repeat this week. I especially enjoy the chorus...so true ;) Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEIvDwrWXGM&feature=related

Prayer for Loved Ones

I found this quote on part of a friend's graduation present the other day. I absolutely LOVED it! Just thought I'd share, because it fits very well into my life. Enjoy!

Dear God,
Thank You for my loved ones, and for choosing me from all others to care for them. Fill me with Your Spirit to share Your warmth and love with my dear ones, and bless them with Your joy,peace, and grace. May we come someday as one family to live with You forever in Heaven.
Amen.

He chose YOU out of all others to care for those in your life. Take courage, and fearlessly impact those around you. May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts always. Peace!

Soundtrack to the Summer of My Soul

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." ~John 14:27

This passage pretty much sums up the three main themes of my summer: peace, giving, and fear. I apologize for the length of this post in advance-it's been a long time since I've written, and I've had lots of time to think ;)

PEACE: This has been something I've been thinking about a lot-especially the last few weeks. I've written myself notes about it, and believe me, when the Spirit grants me the mindset to go into that once again, there will be a long post about this alone. But I want you to look at the first sentence of this passage and notice this: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." God is the only one who can provide us with peace in this crazy life-peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul. Nothing and no one else in this world can do that for us, despite how hard we try to make it happen. Peace is knowing and trusting with our entire being that our Creator has been, is, and will continue to provide for us exactly what we need most.

GIVING: I'm continually realizing how much I have to give, and how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life who constantly give to me. "Not as the world gives do I give it to you." I seriously had a mini freak out moment/huge smile breakout when I read this the other day. How perfectly it applies to my summer is kind of ridiculous! But then again, God does seem to be that way sometimes...;) God provides us with everything we need. He may not give us everything we want, but He ALWAYS provides. And really, what more could we want than to have our deepest needs filled completely by the one who loves us most? He doesn't give to us as the world does. The world give us what we want, when we want it, and in whatever way we can get it. Christ gives us what we truly need (which are also our wants-even when we don't realize it), in the moment we need it most, and in the way that will have the greatest impact on our soul. The world gives us instant satisfaction; He allows us to learn during our trials, awaiting with hope what is to come. As creatures of this world,we give ourselves to others and to Christ with reserve, selfishly holding back part of ourselves to use as we wish. He gives himself ENTIRELY for us. He cares about every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest details. He gave His body on the cross, enduring both the physical and spiritual pain without the slightest complaint. This world gives us speed bumps; Christ gives us Everest.

FEAR: One phrase I've been hearing constantly this summer-both from friends and in my own conscience-has been this: "Be not afraid." Yeah....much easier said than done, I know. Fear is something that I've struggled with every since I can remember-both rational and irrational, but mostly in my faith. There have been many times in my life where I've felt like I'm engaging in this beautiful faith alone, and some of those moments can be pretty discouraging. We all feel lonely at some point-I mean, we need others. It's as simple as that. But sometimes we forget that there is something bigger than ourselves that we're fighting for. We are in the ultimate war; a constant, never-ending battle for souls. And if we fear, we're allowing ourselves to lose by default. For example: I get sooo much out of watching others show their faith. It encourages me, and gives me the hope I need to be courageous in my own. I'm not talking about preaching to a lost friend, or talking someone out of a murder, either. I mean things like kneeling with respect, and being visibly reverent and thankful during communion. Who knows what those little acts of faith can do for someone who needs hope-only God knows how many times may day has been turned around for the better by a kind smile or a good bear hug. We have much more to fear in this life than the little things, so why worry about those? Put on His armor, and go out into the world fearlessly, knowing that He is with you always.

Peace, Giving, and Fear-the soundtrack to the summer of my soul. I hope you take something away from what I've learned this summer, and apply it to your own lives. May you find rest in Him, and may Momma Mary be guiding you always on your journey. Peace.

Adversity

"One blessed be God in times of adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity." -St. John of Avila

Life...It's Complicated

Random Facebook inspiration! Here we go: Life. As in babies. As in beautiful creatures. As in God's work.

I just got on Facebook to-let's face it-waste some time. Funny how God makes sure we even do little things like check our profiles at the right times. I saw a post about a friend of mine and her pregnancy-which reminded me of something else I've been thinking about for a while now. LIFE.
I've always enjoyed working with young kids. They're so easily amazed, and overjoyed with the little things in life. They see the beauty of the small parts of God's creation. And they never fail to make me smile :)

I have a couple of friends that are/will soon be experiencing what it's like to be a mother. The two that I am closest with are very young (recently graduated high school), and not married. Because of this, many people look down on their situations and choose to act like it's not happening or choose to end friendships with them. But they continue to do what they know is right, and accept the cards that have been dealt to them. These women have chosen to stay strong and ignore harsh judgement. And whether they know it or not, these woman are experiencing something amazing. They have life inside of them. They are the ones who are providing love and care to some of His newest creations. They are the instrument that God is using to begin a child's song.

I've been thinking alot about how complex our lives are, and how great God has to be to do it all. I will most likely post more about this topic later, because right now my brain is full of ideas but my energy level is slowly draining. But really, think about it. The complexity of our bodies, our souls, our minds, and every aspect of our lives is ASTOUNDING. My sister, my dad, and I went on a road trip for the 4th of July, and I had my head phones in. I'd been quiet for a while, and I decided to (sneakily) pause my ipod and tune into the conversation the other two were having and see if it was more interesting than my music. I quickly realized the topic of today's car ride was religion-something that I have a different view on than them. I decided to stay out of it, but before I could unpause my ipod, my dad said something that's stuck with me, and pretty well sums up what I'm getting at. "I don't believe God is as present in our daily lives as some people believe, but look at our world: look at how complex it is. Our bodies, our relationships, our lives. Look at all the details of them. How could that just come out of some random explosion?" Although we think of our faith very differently, my dad makes some very valid points about creation ;)

Anyways....point of my random Facebook explanation: God did good work. And He will continue to do good work. Love Him. Praise Him. Thank Him for this crazy complicated life.

Yay Lists!

Warning: This will probably be one of the most random blog posts I will ever write.

This past week I've been camped out at our county fair-not that big of a deal, right? Unless you're involved in 4H/FFA....then it's one of the best weeks of the summer-especially for those crazies of us that move in on Thursday and don't leave the fairgrounds until the following Tuesday. It was a week filled with poop-scooping, sweating, helping others, making new friends, playing cards, and taking down livestock pens/shoveling sand at 2 a.m. I told you, we're crazy. But my week was also filled with many blessings. If I had some sort of internet access, you probably would have heard a great many ramblings in detail a lot sooner. And you probably will at some point after I can get an actual night of sleep and another shower (for those of you who haven't realized this yet, those things are AMAZING. Go stay a week in a 1964 Airstream trailer-you'll feel blessed ;)) I warned you-random. Anyways...since I'm so good at making lists (I get lots of practice) and I can't get my brain to focus long enough to complete a post, here goes nothing:

• God is good, and hard work pays off. Doing hard work for God pays off even more.


• Solidarity is a great thing. When given the chance, always choose to get to know someone more. Definitely more on that great word later.


• Having a relationship with Momma Mary is very helpful and fulfilling indeed.


• Every action we take should be done with courage, no matter the size.


• Trusting that everything is under control is terrifyingly difficult...but necessary.

May you never stop learning. Peace, friends.