To assist you in your growth towards holiness…
Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #20
Greetings, my Fellow Pilgrims on the Way!
Food for the Head
How well do you allow the Word of God to enter into your heart and mind and let it become a consuming fire that consumes whatever is worldly? Have you spent time in true conversation with Jesus during which you speak of what worldly thing in your life needs to be set aside? This week, make a commitment to have at least one 20 minute conversation with Jesus in which you discuss with Him what things may need to be “set aside” so that He can continue to make us better.
Food for the Heart
This week, make a resolution to learn more about the person Jesus wants you to be, and take an action that simplifies your life so you can better become that person.
Many times people will ask me “Why the urgency?” in the midst of my ministry as well as other activities that I am involved.
This question usually comes in light of my pushing (again) for change–either in awareness, approach or methodology–to something that is happening around me. It could be me asking a simple question like “Why are you doing something that way?” or “Have you considered trying to do this instead?” to an exhortation to completely reorient one’s thoughts, words and actions to a higher purpose (like my Say Yes Manifesto).
All of us are yearning for greatness, but we often are not willing to do what is necessary to cultivate that greatness in our lives. And when you take that a step farther and look at what is the ONE THING that TRULY matters in our lives–our relationship with our Heavenly Father and preparing to spend all eternity with Him–we tend towards a “I’ll get around to that” or a “God is merciful” and so give ourselves a “get out of jail free card” for not doing what we know we should be doing in our lives, but we are too busy, distracted, or if we are honest, too lazy, to make a change–even small ones.
And there ARE consequences to our saying no. The story shared by St Faustina is not the only one that tells us that our God is loving, but He is also just. And that fact is not supposed to terrify us (although it does for me sometimes when I look back at my life and all the absolutely horrid things I have done!), but rather is a reminder to set aside MY stuff and set God’s stuff ahead of my own, to put first things first and make room for Him in all things, and to do just a little bit each day that helps me grow closer to God and become more my true self.
The reality is that EVERYTHING matters and can make a difference. Habits, contrary to popular belief, are built not on goals and willpower, but on our making small changes to our environment that will gradually result in our successfully cultivating the habits we need to become a different person in ANY area of our lives. But to do that, we need to cultivate an attitude of openness to the reality that change is necessary in order to grow, and that it is only by growing that we can become who God created us to be.
So do whatever it takes, and tell the Master of Death, NOT TODAY.
God bless each one of you, and I look forward to seeing you on the Way soon!
All the best,
Christina
@SayYestoHoliness
PS–Again, THANK YOU for your continued prayers for my mom”s recovery. I just returned from the Voice and Vision National Summit on Ministry for Youth and Young Adults held at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH (more on that coming in my blog posts), and all was well during my time away, so grateful for your prayers of intercession for her and the family.
And if you are finding this newsletter to be of help to you, PLEASE share it with a friend! (Nothing better than helping a friend make a small change to help them grow in holiness!), and if this has been shared with you and you want to sign up to receive it directly to your own inbox, just go to the www.sayyestoholiness.comwebsite, or click on the Newsletter signup link here
