Category: Inspiration

As we prepare ourselves for the season of Lent, I’m spending time in prayer asking God to nudge my conscience towards the ways I sin and live in disconnection. I remember the words, “Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) and know that through my stubborn self-will, I choose to turn away and do things MY way.

My bonus daughter gave me a framed quote by CS Lewis that says “Life with God is not immunity from difficulties. But peace within difficulties.” 

God calls us to love and serve one another joyfully and find peace in knowing that He is the strength of our heart no matter the circumstance. He is the rock on which we can rely and the never-failing refuge in any storm.

What storms are you facing that you wish would calm? Are there waves of situations that fill you with terror?  It’s only natural that when the trials and anxieties of life confront us the first reaction is fear. 

For much of my life, my beauty was outwardly focused, concerned about the exterior, and the way I presented myself. Whether it be the latest fashion or an executive title at work.  Not necessarily conscious of these behaviors, they were my path to my self-preservation of achievement and worth. 

Our world seems to revel in chaos and destruction; our culture is laden with desire for money, power, and clout. It can be easy to lose sight of what is important when we are living in the eye of a cultural storm.  But Saint Benedict, his life and The Rule can serve as a compass to point us in the right direction.