Tag: Love

Gift of Goodness

Falling in Love with Love. Gift of the Spirit: Fear of the Lord

Smitten With Goodness

Fear of the Lord has always held a negative meaning for me, so I have struggled with understanding this foundational gift of the Holy Spirit.  Coming from a childhood where fear of punishment was the primary motivator to do good rather than love and respect, it is not a wonder that I have had to reframe my thinking. 

Did you know we are gifted with the ability to be head over heels in love with God?  To be smitten with the glory of God and His majesty, living in awe and wonder, and captured by everlasting love?  By design, our Creator wants nothing more for us.  But like any relationship, we must want and prioritize it, cultivate, and nurture it, and surrender ourselves to grow and mature to keep it healthy and alive.

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Guide to Goodness

Our Participation in the Eternal Exchange of Love

Smitten With Goodness
Andrei Rublev’s Icon of the Holy Trinity

We can be easily led astray these days unless we are grounded in truth.  With so many voices shouting for our attention, we can start ignoring the quiet whisper of the Divine within.  We know silence and prayer are crucial to foster this connection allowing us to stay in tune with our mission, use our gifts well and bear goodness. The Spirit is always here to guide us. It our our job to leverage the seven gifts we have been given so we can participate in the external exchange of love.

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Acts of Goodness

How Well Did You Love Me?

Smitten With Goodness

Have you given much thought how you will answer God when you come face to face with Him as your soul passes from earth to heaven?  Do you know what you will say when asked to account for your actions to help build the His kingdom on earth.  Do you have a good answer for “How well did you love me?”

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Guide to Goodness

Good Friday Lord’s Passion: Action Speaks Louder than Words

Smitten With Goodness

So much of my life I was caught up in what people would say instead of basing reality on their behaviors.  This likely stems from having significant relationships in my life who were emotionally unavailable to me in my formative years.  This destructive coping mechanism led me into a lot of wishful thinking and living in the hopeful future.  After suffering the consequences of a failed marriage and another long-term dating relationship, I was able to see how this habit was not serving me well and was able to change my mindset to ensure that actions must match words.

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Inspiring Goodness

Holy Thursday — Entering the Easter Triduum

Smitten With Goodness

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. 

We have spent the past 40 days of Lent renewing and reinvigorating our faith in preparation for Easter.  The sacrifices and penances we have made have softened our hearts to be ready to enter the Easter Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil — in which we commemorate the passion, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The Easter Triduum allows us to walk in Jesus’s footsteps during His final hours on earth.

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Guide to Goodness

Finding Perfect Precious Love

Smitten With Goodness

Joy isn’t what happens when life goes perfectly. It’s what happens when you know you’re loved perfectly, even when life’s a mess.

Chris Stefanick, Living Joy

The journey of Smitten With Goodness began with a simple question.  What does it mean to love?

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