Being Human is Tiring!

Sometimes, we get tired...

Tired of fighting for no apparent reason...

Tired of reaching out towards others, but feeling alone anyway...

Tired of believing lies...

Tired.

So was He.

Christ carried his cross on Calvary for us. He carried 120 lbs of sin and tree....not exactly a walk in the park to begin with. He proceeded to climb uphill, after being beaten close to death by those people whose sins he was carrying. He was crowned with thorns, stripped of all clothes, and put to death in place of a man who was actually guilty. He was mocked and SPIT ON the whole way (not to mention the days before). When he got to the end of the road, what did he do? Did he respond to the chance to prove himself as God? No. Did he yell back? No. He allowed those men to drive nails into his naked flesh-in front of his own mother-for something greater. He FORGAVE them before he took his final breath. It's not about me. It's not about you. It's about that.

May you have a fruitful Lent, filled with meaningful sufferings. May you never tire in imitating the unfailing Love of Christ.

Whatever You Do

God is good.....so, so, so good. Just thought I'd drop in and remind you ;)

I LOVE days like today: those days where you know the battle has already been won the moment you wake up. Those days when your eyes are open to Love, and the whole world seems to be singing a song just for you.

My morning has been blessedly mellow and insanely productive. Yes, at the same time! I slept in until 9, then broke out my backpack and caught up on some calculus. I have the house to myself for the day, which means I was listening to some Frank Sinatra/Ella Fitzgerald while finding the antiderivatives of functions.....which also made cleaning my room much more enjoyable, in case you were wondering. I have a list of other things to do today, but none of them at a certain time-which NEVER happens. So I went out on the porch, found a warm spot and prayed a rosary before continuing my streak of productivity. Yay :) My afternoon list consists of finishing at least 3 scholarship apps, 2 more calc assignments, a chemistry II chapter and questions, and writings some thank you's and letters. The next few hours also consists of me doing perhaps the most dangerous thing on the planet:

I'm going to.....clean. my. car. If you could see my car right now, you would run scared to. I've decided if at any point in time I'm going to conquer this monster, it may as well be today, when I can listen to some good music while doing it. Before I even begin I know there will be at least 5 lawn chairs, a sleeping bag, basketballs, volleyballs, flyers from our 5K in November, and a sack of 100 or so paper mache eggs and all supplies needed to paint/decorate them with little 4-H kids. Oh boy, this should be an adventure, to say the least!

You know, that's a good way to look at everything, actually. Don't dread doing the little things in your daily life-do them for someone greater. Because that someone who is Christ has written for you the adventure of a lifetime....and you're living it right now.

" Whatever you do, do from the heart, as if for the Lord and not for others..." Coll 3:23

Time for Another Quote!

"Be an instrument of gold or of steel, of platinum or of iron-big or small, delicate or rough.

They're all useful.

Each serves its own purpose.

Who whould dare say that the carpenter's saw is any less useful than the surgeon's scalpel?

Your duty is to be an instrument."

-St. Josemaria Escriva

Lessons in Battle

"Battles, battles, get your spiritual battles!"

I feel like the last few weeks, I've been a walking talking advertising board for spiritual warfare. It's been filled with horrible and wonderful, losses and victories. But if you really want to hear about it, ask me some other time. I'd love to have a good convo about angels, battles, and Saint Michael! But for now, I'll get to what I learned from these battles:

1) What we feel isn't always happening. We may feel worthless; that doesn't mean we are. We may feel like the world is crashing down around us; that doesn't mean it is. On the same note, we may feel everything is fine, but that doesn't mean there aren't problems in this world. If we were all controlled by our feelings 100% of the time, this world would be absolutely crazy. (If you're like me, the thought that just went through your brain was "Isn't it already?!" Well yes....but multiply that times a billion.) Trust me, if what I felt these last few weeks would have actually been happening, I'm pretty sure there would be nothing left standing around me. Everything would have either crumbled, caught on fire, or blew up somehow. What we feel isn't always happening.

2) St. Michael is AMAZING......times a zillion and a half. There is no way I would be here right now feeling strong and safe if it weren't for his constant intercession and help in battle. When I got to the point when I felt I was battling alone, the prayers I asked for were specifically to St. Michael (more to come on the asking for prayers later). I've always been partial to the Archangel, but nothing like I am now. WOW. My freshman year, I picked St. Michael as my patron saint, but not for any reason really-because he was the only one I knew enough about to write my required saint report on. You know how we're all supposed to open the "door" in our hearts to let Christ in? No worries, St. Michael just ninja kicks it down for us.


3) God needs us to be who we are, not who we assume others need us to be.
Did that just feel like a drop-kick in the face? Yeah.... This is definitely the phrase that has been stuck in my mind for the last week or so. Kind of self-explanatory. I don't try to meet others expectations, I just create my own. I try so hard to help others in ways that aren't "me," that I end up hurting them worse. But the guy knows what He's doing. He surrounds us with the people we need, not the ones we want. He knows just how others will impact us, and how we will impact them. This world needs people who find their identity in Him. Song of Songs 4:7. BAM.


I also wanted to use this post as a way to say thanks. To all of you (followers of this blog or not) who have supported me in prayer when I desperately needed it, read all of my annoying texts asking for them, and encouraged me by the way you live your lives...thank you. You are truly a blessing, and you have helped more than you know.


St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou,
O Prince of the Heavenly Host-
by the power of God-
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Go...Go...Go....Be Still!

My day:

• Speeding (slightly) to school so that I could get chemistry help


• Power-walking to my car after school to get to my chiropractic appointment


• Flying through a rosary on my way to Winfield for adoration


• Speeding home from Winfield ( I promise I don't speed that often!) to avoid questions about where I've been


• Sitting here trying to rush through homework before 4-H, hearing one sister yell "Mom!" all over the house, and the other one hitting the computer because it's not fast enough to suit her needs


• Speed-typing this blog post before my brain explodes!

Hmm.....I may be over-exaggerating a tad, but I'm not being that dramatic. For crying out loud, be productive when you need to be and BE STILL when you don't! Stop letting your brain (or your bodies too, if you're like me) go, go, go, and go some more. Sit. Breathe. Thank God for His work in your life. Even if that only takes you two seconds. I deem that two seconds well spent.

"Be still, and know that I am God!..." ~Psalm 46:11

Spend a useful two seconds every once in a while, and find joy in His Love. Peace!

Endless Hope

You know those days where you feel like God's giving you a gigantic bear-hug? Today has definitely been one of those days! Spiritual victory, no matter the size, feels wonderful.

Throughout the day there has been one phrase that I just can't seem to get out of my head:

Endless Hope.

God has an endless capacity of hope for us. Endless....as in never ending. Ever. Ever. Ever. It feels good to think about, huh?

It's so easy for us to lose faith in ourselves and others. One bad day, and we feel like our world is ending. One hurtful secret that slipped out of a friend's mouth, and we no longer trust them. It's hard to have hope in those peers who seem to see the negative side of every situation, and it's hard to make ourselves see the positive side. But there always is; with a God who willingly sacrificed himself for us, how can there not be? Christ wasn't sent to die on a cross so that the world could remain dark. He came to bring light :)

Regardless of what we have done, are doing, and most likely will do in the future, God hopes. In fact, he has an endless capacity of it just for you. When you can't seem to resist the temptation dragging you down, God forgives. When you are running on empty, God provides. When you are singing joyfully, God listens in wonder. In all situations, God hopes.

And with that, I leave you with a verse very dear to my heart:

"Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us." ~Romans 5:3-5

May you find comfort in God's endless hope, today and always. Peace!

Plainly and Simply

So I've been reading quite a bit about the apparitions of Mary lately, and I absolutely love Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Ah....beauty :) I just found this beautiful reflection, and thought I'd share. Enjoy!

"Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to him, 'Lord I am here. Tell me what you would have me do.' If he gives me some task, I am content and I thank him. If he gives me nothing, I still thank him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach him plainly and simply." ~St. Catherine Laboure

May we strive to approach Love with everything that we are...plainly and simply.