I was going to write this series a little more consistently, but life got in the way. So here's part 2! You can read part 1 here. I talked mainly about what love is and how Christ is the ultimate example of love. I want to talk a little more about our brokenness, and how our brokenness causes us to think we're unworthy of love.
We all of these questions in our hearts we want to be answered. For women it's Am I captivating? Am I beautiful? Am I worthy? For men it's do I have what it takes? Am I strong enough? Am I enough? As children we turn to our parents to answer our questions - especially our dads. I was blessed, my dad never really did anything that made me think he didn't love me. Rather, he lavished love on me, he always provided for my every need... I am daddy's princess. He gets me flowers and chocolate for Valentine's day. He let's me know I matter. But often dad's fail in this area - they don't let their children know they are loved, they don't answer the question of their children. And by our questions not being answered we become broken. We lose confidence. We lose self-esteem. And if our parents don't wound us, someone else will because we live in a broken world, filled with imperfect people. And then there's also Satan, who doesn't like it very much when we come to know the love of Jesus - and he also tries to interfere - to make sure we get wounded, in hopes we won't turn to Jesus but will reject the love of the Lord instead.
For me, there are a couple of stories I could tell. But I think the biggest point of woundedness in my heart came from those middle school years - 6th grade to be precise. A couple big things happened that year. I had a friend who would be my BFF one day and the next day she would tell me we couldn't be friends because of reason x,y,z - her reason boiled down to "you're too broken for us to be friends" or "you're not good enough to be my friend". And then a week later she would tell me she was wrong and ask to be friends again - so I would forgive her, we would be BFF's again only for a week or two later to repeat. Around the same time this was happening my dad started travelling for work and I felt like he was leaving me sometimes - though I know that's not true, it's still how I felt.
This wound of constantly being told I was not good enough or was too much to handle has continued to carry weight in my life. Even to this day - I lack confidence. I am often filled with fear. I fear failure. I don't want to displease people. I don't want to overwhelm people with my problems. I don't feel like I deserve love people offer me. I have a friend who I text on a bad day to vent and when I'm done venting I often send an apology text for 'dumping all my issues on them' and they always tell me it's okay - everyone needs someone to talk to, to listen to them.
Moral of the story - we're all broken. We all have times we don't feel worthy of love offered to us. Women don't feel worthy of love when someone tells them they're not beautiful or not worthy or are too much to handle. Men feel unworthy... or maybe undeserving of love because they feel they are not strong enough or failed to provide in some manner for some person. I want to leave this post telling you that you are not alone in your feelings of unworthiness. There is hope for Christ rose from the dead, more on that to come!
God bless!
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Monday, February 16, 2015
Monday, October 27, 2014
Love Just One
If you can't feed 100 people, feed just one.
-Mother Teresa
I had a conversation with a friend the other day about the state of our world. Here's a script of our conversation.
"He is amazing" my friend (talking about the boy I babysit)
"I know! Ah kid's resilience and strength blow my mind" me
"They think they can do anything, so they do!"
Exactly! They've never been told or experienced anything different, so why would they act any different?
I wish people in this world would see that and quit discouraging kids at such a young age.
Ah I know! But in a world where all that matters is self-gain this is unfortunately going to be an issue.
It sucks our world has to be this way.
In this conversation I was convicted of this: It does suck that our world has to be that way - that kids get discouraged, that it's a world all about self-gain, but there is hope! We are the ones who can change it by the way we carry ourselves, by the way we treat people, by the way we raise our kids, etc.
I was on a retreat this weekend, and surrendered to the Lord many areas of my life and heart that I had just buried. Past hurts, past wounds that I started to just suppress. The desires of my heart, the actions, and seeing so many ways I am imperfect, but surrendering all of them to the Lord and accepting the mercy Christ offers us. Leaving this retreat we had a conversation about where to go from here. We were impacted, we found so much freedom in this 'spring cleaning' of our hearts - how can we carry this into our lives? How can we seek to more fully share the freedom the Lord desires to give us with the people around us?
Love them. Love them unconditionally. Love them selflessly. Love them with all that you have and all that you are. Show a genuine interest in them. I so often get so overwhelmed by the hurt of people in this world. If I had to pick one thing I am most passionate about it would be love - or the lack of it in this world. The number of people who go around believing they're a hopeless case, they're worthless, they lack dignity, they lack value - the number of people in this world who experience these feelings break my heart - and I wish I had the love in the world to give to each person, to let each person know they are loved. But alas, that is not possible - so what to do?
Love. Just. One.
Mother Teresa said if you can't feed 100 people, feed just one. We can make an impact in this world by loving the people around us, by loving just one person, by showing a genuine interest in them. My friend recently told a story about having a conversation with one of her classmates and showing a genuine interest in his life and how shocked he was by her asking these questions, seeking answers. She impacted that person. She let him know he is loved by at least one person in this world.
I am thoroughly convinced that the smallest gift of love from each of us can positively impact the world. We may not see the difference, we may not see the change, but the impact is real. The impact is there. Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Make the Ugly Beautiful
I went to Adoration tonight and the image of flowers at the bottom of the alter, holding Jesus struck me. You see, I've been struggling to lay down some of my burdens and allow Christ to take control. So I wanted to share this with you all. The good Lord takes all things and makes them beautiful, no matter how ugly or awful it may seem, there will be good that comes of it, for our God is a God of mercy and love.
Father, may we trust forever in your perfect plan and find hope in your love and mercy.
Father, may we trust forever in your perfect plan and find hope in your love and mercy.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday Memo
"When tempted to despair, I have only one resource: to throw myself at the foot of the tabernacle."
-St. John Vianney
May we always throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus, that he may be our strength and source of life!
God bless!
-St. John Vianney
May we always throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus, that he may be our strength and source of life!
God bless!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Made for Love
So I recently read this article (http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html) and you should probably go read it before reading the rest of this, though you can proceed without reading it.
There are two things that I have learned over the past three years that I absolutely love. These lessons came with learning about Catholicism, in my own journey, you may have learned them another way.
One - we are made for happiness:
Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. (CCC #30)
Two - We all desire to love and to be loved. It's just how God made us.
Lately, I seem to have noticed more and more how people are not as happy and how people aren't loving. Often times, I find myself frustrated because I see a lack of love and an increase of self-centeredness. It strikes me more and more each time I think about myself over another, or place myself on a higher level than another person.
Today, my parents were talking about taking a little vacation. They never really had a honeymoon when they got married, so they just want to do something special, they've been together for a total of 25 years, married for 22, which is beautiful, and honestly, it seems to be rare these days. Anyway, as they were talking about their little vacation, I found myself thinking "ugh they don't deserve a vacation. they don't work nearly as hard as I have been." But who was I kidding - seriously, my mom had 4 kids. My dad works full time, always has, and he has always worked to provide for our family. My mom was a stay home mom, heck that's harder than being a working mom, I think, because there's less income, and she was with us rascals all day, but it paid off since we turned out to be pretty decent specimen. My point is that I was so focused on thinking about me, myself, and I that I didn't think about how hard my parents have worked to provide me with all that I need, and helped to form me into the person I am. They deserve a vacation, without any kids. Just the two of them celebrating the milestone of sending two kids through high school and surviving, while fighting many other battles.
That's just one example where I thought of myself over others. There are other times, but that's not exactly my point. Now if you read the article I posted above, you'll now the direction this is going.
I was never really around people who openly talked about their sexuality, the idea of same sexes being attracted to one another was a rather foreign idea to me. Maybe it was just because I'm good at being oblivious, or maybe it was because there just wasn't much of it where I grew up (farm country). Anywho, something I've realized is just how much each person is a person, and they deserve to be loved.
I had a really interesting conversation with a friend the other day. Being in a conservative Catholic community, there are many people who are Pro-life (obviously) and people who kind of hmm I don't the word, but I feel like "gayness" for lack of better terms is frowned upon. I obviously understand why. It's against the Church. God made man and woman for a reason, and with being pro-life - well all I have to say is a life is a life, no matter how small. However, what my friend and I talked about was how those who work with pro-choice groups honestly think they are doing the right thing to help the women they are working with. The women they are working with probably feel trapped, and that's why they're seeking their options. The people who work for abortion clinics, etc are people too. I feel like they're almost looked at as 'monsters' (for lack of better term) because they want women to feel like they have a choice.
And as for the gay/lesbian community - well, they are people too, who desire to love and be loved. When I think of this battle being fought in America, well I think about the times I feel lonely, and I just want someone to love me, to hold me, to comfort me. I think of those times when I long for human comfort, and touch. And in thinking in this way, I've learned to see how they are people too, I know that sounds weird, mean, judgemental, whatever you want to call it, but I'm being honest here.
My question - doesn't everyone want to be loved?
Then, why is it so hard for us to love our brothers and sisters who are pro-choice, or support gay/lesbian?
Brothers and sisters, this has been something weighing so heavy on my heart. We're all sinners, and I guess well, I wanted to remind all how all people are in need of love.
I remember when I first came to St. Patrick's Veritas youth group winter mission trip my freshman year of high school. I remember being welcomed into a community of love, of life. There was so much joy, so much love. In middle school, I was teased, a lot. People I didn't know said I was gay because I never had a boyfriend (though I had plenty of crushes). I had countless days where I came home crying because a friend told me she didn't want to be friends with me anymore. I remember being called a bitch, a backstabber, and other mean things. And as a freshman in high school, coming into that community, so filled with love, I was grateful, grateful to know so many people who loved God, and loved me too. I want the world to be like that - a community of love.
If someone comes to me and tells me they find their same sex attractive, I want to embrace them with open arms. I don't want to try to change them. I want to love them. I want them to know they are loved. I want them to know God, and know his love - and chances are, if this person has been placed in my life, then I'm supposed to love them, with the love of Christ within me.
If someone comes to me and tells me they are pregnant and considering an abortion, I want to be able to embrace them with open arms. I want to be able to love my sister in that moment. I want to be a listening ear for her. Most importantly - I want her to feel love, to feel safe, to not feel judged, but loved.
Let us be a people of love, a people who embraces each person with whatever their challenge/struggle may be. If there is a person in our life, chances are they are there for us to love. I know I'm not perfect at this, I know there will be times when I'll jump to conclusions, but brothers and sisters, can we work together to become a people of love, rather than a people of judgement? (And I'm not saying people are judging, but sometimes it comes off that way when we desire mainly to change people) Let us love people with the love God has placed within us. Let us love.
I just want to leave you with this - Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”And when Jesus saw that [he] answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions
As I was adding that Gospel passage, the word understanding stood out to me. Here's a little blurb I found on understanding - I think it sums up what I really want my message to get across tonight.
There are two things that I have learned over the past three years that I absolutely love. These lessons came with learning about Catholicism, in my own journey, you may have learned them another way.
One - we are made for happiness:
Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. (CCC #30)
Two - We all desire to love and to be loved. It's just how God made us.
Lately, I seem to have noticed more and more how people are not as happy and how people aren't loving. Often times, I find myself frustrated because I see a lack of love and an increase of self-centeredness. It strikes me more and more each time I think about myself over another, or place myself on a higher level than another person.
Today, my parents were talking about taking a little vacation. They never really had a honeymoon when they got married, so they just want to do something special, they've been together for a total of 25 years, married for 22, which is beautiful, and honestly, it seems to be rare these days. Anyway, as they were talking about their little vacation, I found myself thinking "ugh they don't deserve a vacation. they don't work nearly as hard as I have been." But who was I kidding - seriously, my mom had 4 kids. My dad works full time, always has, and he has always worked to provide for our family. My mom was a stay home mom, heck that's harder than being a working mom, I think, because there's less income, and she was with us rascals all day, but it paid off since we turned out to be pretty decent specimen. My point is that I was so focused on thinking about me, myself, and I that I didn't think about how hard my parents have worked to provide me with all that I need, and helped to form me into the person I am. They deserve a vacation, without any kids. Just the two of them celebrating the milestone of sending two kids through high school and surviving, while fighting many other battles.
That's just one example where I thought of myself over others. There are other times, but that's not exactly my point. Now if you read the article I posted above, you'll now the direction this is going.
I was never really around people who openly talked about their sexuality, the idea of same sexes being attracted to one another was a rather foreign idea to me. Maybe it was just because I'm good at being oblivious, or maybe it was because there just wasn't much of it where I grew up (farm country). Anywho, something I've realized is just how much each person is a person, and they deserve to be loved.
I had a really interesting conversation with a friend the other day. Being in a conservative Catholic community, there are many people who are Pro-life (obviously) and people who kind of hmm I don't the word, but I feel like "gayness" for lack of better terms is frowned upon. I obviously understand why. It's against the Church. God made man and woman for a reason, and with being pro-life - well all I have to say is a life is a life, no matter how small. However, what my friend and I talked about was how those who work with pro-choice groups honestly think they are doing the right thing to help the women they are working with. The women they are working with probably feel trapped, and that's why they're seeking their options. The people who work for abortion clinics, etc are people too. I feel like they're almost looked at as 'monsters' (for lack of better term) because they want women to feel like they have a choice.
And as for the gay/lesbian community - well, they are people too, who desire to love and be loved. When I think of this battle being fought in America, well I think about the times I feel lonely, and I just want someone to love me, to hold me, to comfort me. I think of those times when I long for human comfort, and touch. And in thinking in this way, I've learned to see how they are people too, I know that sounds weird, mean, judgemental, whatever you want to call it, but I'm being honest here.
My question - doesn't everyone want to be loved?
Then, why is it so hard for us to love our brothers and sisters who are pro-choice, or support gay/lesbian?
Brothers and sisters, this has been something weighing so heavy on my heart. We're all sinners, and I guess well, I wanted to remind all how all people are in need of love.
I remember when I first came to St. Patrick's Veritas youth group winter mission trip my freshman year of high school. I remember being welcomed into a community of love, of life. There was so much joy, so much love. In middle school, I was teased, a lot. People I didn't know said I was gay because I never had a boyfriend (though I had plenty of crushes). I had countless days where I came home crying because a friend told me she didn't want to be friends with me anymore. I remember being called a bitch, a backstabber, and other mean things. And as a freshman in high school, coming into that community, so filled with love, I was grateful, grateful to know so many people who loved God, and loved me too. I want the world to be like that - a community of love.
If someone comes to me and tells me they find their same sex attractive, I want to embrace them with open arms. I don't want to try to change them. I want to love them. I want them to know they are loved. I want them to know God, and know his love - and chances are, if this person has been placed in my life, then I'm supposed to love them, with the love of Christ within me.
If someone comes to me and tells me they are pregnant and considering an abortion, I want to be able to embrace them with open arms. I want to be able to love my sister in that moment. I want to be a listening ear for her. Most importantly - I want her to feel love, to feel safe, to not feel judged, but loved.
Let us be a people of love, a people who embraces each person with whatever their challenge/struggle may be. If there is a person in our life, chances are they are there for us to love. I know I'm not perfect at this, I know there will be times when I'll jump to conclusions, but brothers and sisters, can we work together to become a people of love, rather than a people of judgement? (And I'm not saying people are judging, but sometimes it comes off that way when we desire mainly to change people) Let us love people with the love God has placed within us. Let us love.
I just want to leave you with this - Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”And when Jesus saw that [he] answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions
As I was adding that Gospel passage, the word understanding stood out to me. Here's a little blurb I found on understanding - I think it sums up what I really want my message to get across tonight.
Understanding is using your mind to think clearly, paying attention to see the meaning of things. An understanding mind gives you insights and wonderful ideas. An understanding heart gives you empathy and compassion for others. Understanding is the power to think and learn and also to care.
You are practicing understanding when you …
- Concentrate and pay close attention
- Reflect on the meaning of things
- See the whole picture
- Resist distractions
- Put yourself in other people’s shoes
- Forgive others and yourself when you make mistakes
May we grow in love, and understanding. May we seek the intercession of our blessed Mother, Mary, Help of Christians, to grow! I believe in striving after this - we will see a greater happiness in this world, that we may be able to serve in joy, and in love!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Mother Teresa
Taking a break from studying I read some Mother Teresa and just thought I would share!
"We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. "I will be a saint" means I will despoil myself of all that is not God; I will strip my heart of all created things; I will live in poverty and detachment; I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God." -Mother Teresa
Intense love does not measure, it just gives. -Mother Teresa
Peace begins with a smile. -Mother Teresa
"We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. "I will be a saint" means I will despoil myself of all that is not God; I will strip my heart of all created things; I will live in poverty and detachment; I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God." -Mother Teresa 
Intense love does not measure, it just gives. -Mother Teresa
Peace begins with a smile. -Mother Teresa
"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love." -Mother Teresa
Happy studies!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
God of Love; God of Mercy
My dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
The Lord has been speaking, at great length, to my heart, how he is a God of love.
In this time, it is easy to view our God as judgmental, for we know that on the last day, we will face the judgment of God. However, the judgment which we will experience will not be what we expect.When we view our God as "the judge" it becomes harder to view him as he truly is. It is easy to see God as a "kill-joy" because we feel we can't participate in the things of this world. It's not a good thing to go party. We, who desire to live our faith as radical Christians cannot live a "normal" life. This often a struggle for me.
However, there is hope! Our God is a relentless God. He never gives up on us. He is continually with us, reigning in our hearts, directly us to complete his will. There will be bumps in the road. There will be challenges, but the good Lord will be by our side the entire journey, pouring his love & mercy into our hearts.
I want to share with you a time where I intimately experienced God's love. It occurred about a year ago. We were in adoration, at the start of a mission trip, and leading up to the trip I had really been struggling with loneliness. It had been a rough couple months, and I felt totally alone, in a place where I was surrounded by people. I took this all to prayer. I laid it before God, and placed it all on his alter. In doing so I was compelled to simply sit in silence before our Lord. Normally, this was a hard thing for me to do. I had to be praying my rosary or writing in my journal, but in that moment the Lord was calling me to be still; to be silent. During this silence he began to heal my heart. He began to open my eyes, to the love I was missing - his love. I was blessed with a vision of the Lord. He stood with arms open, welcoming me into his most Sacred Heart. What I distinctly recall is the image Jesus had. He was in white, in his glory, and his Sacred Heart was visible, but instead of one hand touching his heart, both were open to welcome me, to welcome me home. In this time, I was fully united to our Lord, and we were dancing. It was a beautiful moment in my life, that I would never forget - prominently because of the way the Lord lavished his love on me, and the way he revealed his love for me to me.
I know the Lord loves each of his children in this same way. Because of this, my dear brothers & sisters, I encourage you to look at God as a God of love and a God of mercy. See him as a God who is forgiving, who is relentless, who is all love, and only desires you well-being.
Seek out this God of love. Seek out his mercy. Allow him to lavish you in his love.
May God bless you.
The Lord has been speaking, at great length, to my heart, how he is a God of love.
In this time, it is easy to view our God as judgmental, for we know that on the last day, we will face the judgment of God. However, the judgment which we will experience will not be what we expect.When we view our God as "the judge" it becomes harder to view him as he truly is. It is easy to see God as a "kill-joy" because we feel we can't participate in the things of this world. It's not a good thing to go party. We, who desire to live our faith as radical Christians cannot live a "normal" life. This often a struggle for me.
However, there is hope! Our God is a relentless God. He never gives up on us. He is continually with us, reigning in our hearts, directly us to complete his will. There will be bumps in the road. There will be challenges, but the good Lord will be by our side the entire journey, pouring his love & mercy into our hearts.
I want to share with you a time where I intimately experienced God's love. It occurred about a year ago. We were in adoration, at the start of a mission trip, and leading up to the trip I had really been struggling with loneliness. It had been a rough couple months, and I felt totally alone, in a place where I was surrounded by people. I took this all to prayer. I laid it before God, and placed it all on his alter. In doing so I was compelled to simply sit in silence before our Lord. Normally, this was a hard thing for me to do. I had to be praying my rosary or writing in my journal, but in that moment the Lord was calling me to be still; to be silent. During this silence he began to heal my heart. He began to open my eyes, to the love I was missing - his love. I was blessed with a vision of the Lord. He stood with arms open, welcoming me into his most Sacred Heart. What I distinctly recall is the image Jesus had. He was in white, in his glory, and his Sacred Heart was visible, but instead of one hand touching his heart, both were open to welcome me, to welcome me home. In this time, I was fully united to our Lord, and we were dancing. It was a beautiful moment in my life, that I would never forget - prominently because of the way the Lord lavished his love on me, and the way he revealed his love for me to me.
I know the Lord loves each of his children in this same way. Because of this, my dear brothers & sisters, I encourage you to look at God as a God of love and a God of mercy. See him as a God who is forgiving, who is relentless, who is all love, and only desires you well-being.
Seek out this God of love. Seek out his mercy. Allow him to lavish you in his love.
May God bless you.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
There is a God who Loves you Just the Same
Today's Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
The son said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.
As humans, with free will, it is easy for us to say no to God's will and choose what we want to do over what God has planned for us. Luckily, our God is patient, and merciful. Luckily, our God can work with our decisions, and do His best to make the best out of every situation.
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
The son said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.
As humans, with free will, it is easy for us to say no to God's will and choose what we want to do over what God has planned for us. Luckily, our God is patient, and merciful. Luckily, our God can work with our decisions, and do His best to make the best out of every situation.
Sometimes we will make choice, and upon re-evaluation, make a change, just as the son in today's Gospel. Being a young adult, college student, this something that is often done. I've successfully completed my first semester of college. There are girls in my dorm who are transferring to other schools, majors are being changed, decisions were made - and now, with re-evaluation changes are being made. Often times, it is scary to do this. Making decisions are scary. Choosing to take a year off school and to serve is scary. Choosing a college is scary. Choosing a major is scaring. Choosing to do declare yourself single for a season is scary. Choosing to enter into a relationship is scary. Becoming engaged is scary. Getting married is scary. Having your first child is scary. Sending your first child to kindergarten is scary. Sending your children off to college is scary.
Life is all about making decisions. Things rarely turn out as you expect. But it's all a part of growing up. It's all a part of living. And being 18, and a freshman in college, living on your own for the first time, away from parents, is the perfect time to learn. You make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. Just remember, there is a God who loves you despite every good or bad decision you may make - You will be loved just the same.
May the Lord guide us and lead us to make prudent decisions. May we humbly follow the son in today's Gospel, and not be afraid to change. May we seek to choose God always. Amen.
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