How to be a saint (but not get eaten by lions)

May 24, 2015May 25, 2015 ~ Laura ~ 4 Comments

Not all of us are called to have our heads chopped off or be eaten alive by lions like the saints of old. But all of us are called to be saints in one way or another.

Lately I’ve been thinking about what that means. To be a saint nowadays might mean martyrdom for a few people, but for most of us, it’s probably not going to come to that. Most of us are going to lead somewhat ordinary lives getting some sort of an education, having some sort of job, probably raising a family, etc. You get the gist of it. Most of our lives are pretty ordinary. But all of us are called to an extraordinary mission.

This mission is to be a saint, to be the salt and light of the world. It’s going to look different for different people, but the common denominator is this: being a saint means giving until it hurts, loving without boundaries, and living with a higher purpose.

Giving until it hurts means letting go of our plans and giving God the room to lead us where He made us to go – no matter how tough that path may be. This also means giving of ourselves in service to other people and the greater community. Loving without boundaries means reaching beyond our comfort zone into whatever situations we face and meeting people where they are at. And living with a higher purpose does not mean we’re doing this because we’re more awesome than other people. It means doing all this not for ourselves, or to look good, but because it is right. And giving is better than receiving.

But golly gee, that is WAY easier said than done.

It’s easy to watch just one more episode of something or have a second cookie we don’t need. It’s easy to justify not exercising after a long day of work. It’s easy to look up from social media and wonder where two hours went. It’s easy to forget to pray. Overall, it’s just plain easy to get by in life.

But those things are not going to make any of us saints.

I don’t want to just get by. I want to thrive. I want to say “no” to things that don’t help me become a saint. And I want to say “yes” to things that help me become a saint until it becomes a habit. I want to be more purposeful about how I spend my time.

So that’s why I’m creating a personal mission statement.

Yes, it’s somewhat cheesy. But I’m dead serious about wanting to become a saint. It’s what we’re all called to! Because of that, I’m going to use this statement as a guide. If something doesn’t match the guidelines, then too bad. It’s not happening. And if something does match, and does make me a better person, then it’s happening – even if it’s hard.

Failure will happen. But at least I’ll be closer to what I should be doing.

That’s how I’m going to work on becoming a saint: evaluating what I do and saying “yes” and “no” to the right things.

Yes, it’s kind of a duh moment. Shouldn’t I be doing this anyway? Yes, but writing this out forces me to be mindful. For now this is taking a concrete step toward being more intentional about my time on this side of heaven. And that’s what you can do too! Have you ever thought about defining what your mission in life is?

So here you go. You can click here to visit my new personal mission statement page.

What you think? Share your thoughts in the comments, and shoot me an email if you want to chat about what helped me create this.

Cheers to a purposeful life! And who knows? Maybe your life will involve lions. Maybe not. I can’t guarantee it won’t come to that. But maybe it’s something else that’s keeping you from being awesome. Identify it, and make it your mission to overcome it.

Today my step toward sainthood is reminding myself that we’re created with a purpose. This is mine. What’s yours?

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

Image via Pius Mahimbi on Flickr.

Letting go of the perfect future

May 6, 2015 ~ Laura ~ 5 Comments

Before this school year, never had I ever laid on a table close to tears lamenting my future.

But then junior year happened.

Starting off year three as a college student, I was excited to be starting the second half of my college experience. Now I had less time in front of me than behind! It’s exciting to be an adult and independent. But it’s also rather terrifying sometimes . . . like when you realize you don’t really want to do what you set out to do.

I came into college without declaring a major. Psychology was in the running. I still find it fascinating, but did not want grad school to become a necessity. For some time in high school, I considered nursing. But I didn’t want to deal with the higher levels of science. I didn’t want to do something like Theology because what in the world would I do with that?

So I chose business management. Then I decided my goal was to run a pregnancy center.

The other day I had to dress in business attire for a presentation. And it just felt wrong. Even Lin our lovely mother away from home at the cafeteria looked me up and down because it’s not like me. I wear skirts and cute dresses and sandals now that it’s getting warmer.

But there I was in my heels and pencil skirt.

It makes me feel powerful, in a way: walking across campus put together like the strong, independent woman society tells me I should be. But the whole time I wanted to rip it off. I don’t want that. I don’t want to look down on people from up high on my heels. I don’t want people to think I have it together all the time, because I really don’t.

I don’t know where my life is going after realizing that I don’t want to work in the corporate business world. Even the non-profit world can leave me feeling a little less human. And I wasn’t made for the coldness of a cubicle.

Which takes us to the whole laying on a table lamenting my life that happened at some point last semester . . .

You might wonder why I would share something like that. It’s somewhat awkward, but 100% real. If I were to sit down for coffee with you, it’s the same story you would hear because it’s the real me. And I share because many classmates speak of the same thing. Many of us have experienced doubt this school year, and questioned our plans for the future.

The path I’m supposed to take still isn’t crystal clear. Sorry, there’s not an easy solution. But what I do know is that no matter what the specifics of my future look like, what I am called to do right now (and at every point in my life) is to give of myself. That’s expressed in different ways at different points in a person’s life, but in the end,

“He will look at our hands to see if they have been scarred from giving, our feet to see the calluses from travel to preach His Gospel, and our side to see if we have loved to a point of sacrifice. Woe to us who come down from Calvary with hands unscarred and white.” (Fulton Sheen)

Are my hands scarred and my feet callused? Are my knees rough from praying for others? Is my heart so bursting with Christ’s love that I never hesitate to share it? Are my eyes sore from watching out for others, my back aching from working for the true, good, and beautiful things of this world?

That’s what I’m supposed to be doing right now: loving people wherever they are and seeking God’s will.

Love without measure - St. Francis de Sales — St. Francis de Sales

Even though I don’t know what God’s will is all the time, what I do know is that I’m called to give until it hurts. Giving isn’t about how much you give, though. It’s about how much we have left. You know that parable where a poor woman gave all the money she had, even though it was a tiny amount? What she gave wasn’t a lot. A rich person could have given many more dollars.

It was about how much she had left: almost nothing in the world. With trust, she gave almost everything of herself knowing she would ultimately be taken care of.

So today my prayer is for the grace to be able to love until it hurts, to trust with abandon, to give until my hands are scarred, and my skin burned from laboring in the the fields I’m led to. Because it’s there that I’m meant to be: where my passions and talents meet the needs of the world. I don’t know where exactly that is yet, but I know for certain I’m in for an adventure in this year where I’m trying to abandon myself to God’s will.

Let your faith be bigger than your fear — Author Unknown

Fear tells me to worry about the future. Faith tells me God knows the plans He has for me. They are plans for me to prosper and thrive. If He could just tell me what the heck the plan is, that would be great. But that’s too easy! So I’m going to keep on working, giving, and serving – trying my best to do what I’m called to do in this moment and leave the worries of the future in the hands of Him who will help me work them out.

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

When the going gets tough

May 3, 2015 ~ Laura ~ 4 Comments

. . . the tough get going. Right?

Yeah, that’s harder than it sounds.

Until this semester, I have never considered myself a lazy person. Ever. It just wasn’t something that was in my blood. A possibility? Eh, unlikely. I am the do-er of all things, the planner, the one to get up and do something when other people don’t. I still do that. I can’t stand sleeping in (unless it’s desperately needed), and am always busy doing things.

But I’ve realized that what I’m doing is actually kind of stupid sometimes.

For example:

Why do I read people’s blogs? Why do I check Facebook? Why do I read so many articles? Yeah, Buzzfeed. Why do I spend time on there sometimes? Why do I sometimes spend time doing things that aren’t 100% necessary? Why don’t I get up earlier? Why do I go to bed so late? Why don’t I work out and pray more?

Basically: why I am not fully running like a crazy person toward the person I’m capable of being?

That’s not to say I’ve been lounging on the couch eating potato chips and watching all the seasons of Say Yes to the Dress. Nope, I still don’t like tv. I’ve worked out quite a lot and grown in my prayer life. But I’ve procrastinated on projects. I’ve forgotten to respond to people’s communication. I’ve done things later than I should have, even though I knew about them well ahead of time. I’ve just not done my best.

And I really hate that.

I am capable of getting all my homework done more than a day before it’s due. I am capable of responding to all important communication within a reasonable amount of time. I am capable of going without the internet for days on end. I am capable of having a thriving prayer life, and being in good shape.

Even though I’ve thought about it, I haven’t come up with a reason why I haven’t worked harder on these things. I want to be better. It kills me that I haven’t tried harder.

So I’m moving on.

It’s high time to whip myself into gear and show God I’m actually serious about being the person He created me to be. So I’m going to use this summer to challenge myself like never before. It might mean getting up by 6am and pushing myself to do things outside my comfort zone. And what I know it means is working my butt off to unite my life to the life God made me to live. Basically this quote sums it up:

Who’s ready to put on some warpaint and be a boss at life?!?! Care to join me? There just aren’t excuses at this point in my life for not being better, so I’m going to be karate-chopping the world down and standing on top of it like that guy in Mulan when he’s king of the rock. Except I’m a girl. And I have regular clothes on. Bad analogy.

Anyway.

I’ll be sharing my goals in the next week or so. Want to join me in making this summer count? Start thinking about what you want to do, habits you wan to kick or develop, and let’s bounce our ideas off each other!

To Life

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

Lose yourself to find yourself

February 17, 2015 ~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

Hear alarm.

Groan.

Do I have to do this again?

Get up.

Chug coffee.

Lament bad news going around the web.

Work or classes.

Eat.

Answer emails.

Check in on social media.

Crawl into bed wondering where the day went.

Repeat.

Sound too familiar? Don’t worry, it does to me too.

So much of the time we go about our lives going through the motions. I look back on some days and wonder what I did. Did I create meaningful memories? Did I stop and smell the alfalfa – enjoy the sunshine, spend time in prayer, and ask good questions of the people I came in contact with?

To be honest, the answers to those questions are not always great.

Sometimes I could have handled conversations much more graciously. I could have been more thoughtful. And for me, it comes down the choices I make. Did I choose to think about other people’s needs before my own? Or was I so focused on powering through my day that I didn’t notice a couple people I said “hi” to really weren’t doing okay?

Especially in the US, we talk about college being a time to “find yourself”. So I should be focusing on myself and living everyday focused on myself, right?

Well, no.

From my (oh so extensive) experience, this is mind-blowingly true. When I focus on myself, I become selfish, because I’m thinking only about myself. But when I reach beyond myself and ask how I can impact other people for the common good, we’re all left a little better. You are doing better because who doesn’t appreciate being paid attention to. And I’m doing better because helping people builds relationships and makes me appreciate the awesomeness of our differences.

So this Lent, and in life in general, I want to do a better job paying attention to the needs of others. I’m going to step outside myself, and serve other people. Not because people I know are charity cases, but because the world would be better off if we lost ourselves in service more often. If we crucified our desires by asking what we could do for others, how much better off would we be? Because when we take that step, we know people better and can identify with people more easily. We see ourselves in common struggles, and become more fully who we were made to be by walking other people’s journeys with them.

That’s what compassion is, after all – to suffer with someone. To walk beside you and go through things with you as we navigate whatever life throws at us. So can I pray for anything specific for you this Lent? Do you need a coffee date so I can listen to whatever is going on in your life? Would a handwritten note mean a lot to you? Can I call you? Do you want to chat over Facebook or emails?

I would love to give my time to you.

Because our lives are better when they are lived for something bigger than ourselves.

Let’s make an effort to extend ourselves more often, to reach beyond our personal desires into the needs of our communities. Because guess what? It’s there where our true colors will shine through, where our character will be tested, and our greatest traits will be forged.

Are you willing to step beyond yourself to make that happen? Let’s do this together!

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

50 Shades of Awesome

February 8, 2015February 8, 2015 ~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

Once upon a time I was Black Friday shopping and left this note on a 50 Shades of Grey display:

Yesterday I was at Target and left a lovely Mother Teresa meditation inside another copy 😉

50 Shades of Grey is coming out in theaters soon. In an ideal world, I would be outside theaters handing theater-goers some sort of material telling them about love – what true love really is. But I’m not Catholic enough to bi-locate (or tri-locate – is that a thing?). Dagnabit.

Actually, in an ideal world this “phenomenon” wouldn’t exist.

When the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge took off, we looked at it in a class trying to figure out why it became so popular. Right now I’m trying to wrap my head about the 50 Shades “phenomenon”.

Why is this so popular?

Quite simply, this is wildly popular because our country is obsessed with sex. But who didn’t know that already? Just take a look at magazines, Carl’s Jr. trying to sell women (err, hamburgers?), and the stress put on people to bare it all Kim Kardashian style. But I digress. Kim is a whole other post.

People defend 50 Shades by saying the so-called “mommy porn” is just a love story: a naive young woman is introduced to the broken world of a hurt man. He pulls her into his BDSM lifestyle and yay! She learns stuff and he finds release from his past. It’s all consensual, they say. Nobody gets hurt because they have “safe words”, right?

Not so fast.

Did you know [SPOILER] that Christian forces Anastasia to get an abortion? Did you know that this book is so poorly written it barely has a story-line besides the graphic scenes? Did you know it started as Twilight fan fiction?

So what is going on with this book?

You can argue with me whether you think 50 Shades is harmful. But I have a thesis, a hypothesis of sorts. I’m fairly certain this “phenomenon” is a symptom of our country’s obsession with sex. But why is it like that in the first place? Why is this all people talk about in the media?

*Enter my go-to homeboy Bishop Fulton Sheen*

Our society is obsessed because:

1. “[L]oss of belief in God. Once people lose God, they lose the purpose of life; and when the purpose of living is forgotten, the universe becomes meaningless.”

2. A “desire to escape from the responsibility of living and from the unbearable voice of an uneasy conscience”

3. The “modern denial of immorality”

4. The “equating of humans with animals”

We’ve probably all heard the idea that humans were made to love and be loved. And I’m fairly certain that’s part of everybody wanting to be happy.

But when we try to satisfy this inner desire with material things, we’re sure to be disappointed because there “is no surer formula for discontent than to try to satisfy our cravings for the ocean of Infinite Love from the teacup of finite satisfactions.”

The popularity of 50 Shades shows me something good: that people still recognize the desire to be loved. What’s sad to see is how (MILLIONS of) people try to go about fulfilling that desire.

We live as if everyone’s version of truth is a-okay – that this train wreck of a 50 Shades phenomenon is too hard to stop. But the fact is that we were made for things far greater than 50 Shades. And we need to be able to admit that. 50 Shades of Grey is incapable of showing us what love is all about because “[t]he infinite cravings of a soul cannot be satisfied by the flesh alone.”

We are made up of body and soul. Because of that, we cannot be satisfied with BDSM so-called romance novels. It is impossible. Our culture’s ravenous attitude toward 50 Shades shows us how utterly insatiable this desire for love is when we try to fill an ocean with a teacup.

So what the heck are we supposed to do about this obsession? In light of the four problems above, I propose that we as a culture need to:

1. Realize we are incapable of fully experiencing love without Love himself as part of the picture. When we seek love, we are searching for Him. Making anything else our goal in life will leave us disappointed.

2. Own up to our faults and realize the mind-blowing awesomeness of seeking a life with a higher purpose going beyond things of the flesh.

3. Realize it’s okay to say that some things are inherently wrong.

4. Challenge the idea that we are slaves to our passions.

And bonus! Be satisfied. There’s a guy out there who would sacrifice his own life for you. And he’s more than a Christian. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m telling you he already died for you. His name is Jesus.

And I’d say that’s more than 50 Shades of Awesome.

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

P.P.S. If you or someone you know struggles with this issue, please go to Fight the New Drug or purchase the book Delivered for resources, hope, and healing.

P.P.P.S. Here are 50 things to know about 50 Shades. Knowledge is power. Watch it!