Time Stops for No One
Hello all! Hope everything is going well for all of you! It's been a while since I've wrote, and I've got lots of new ideas flowing. Summer has been busier than ever before, but it's been great! It's really been one of the best summer's ever.
And one of the saddest.
Why?
Because it's my last. Well last like this anyways. When school starts again in the fall, life will be vastly different than anything I've known my entire life up to this point. I'm comfortable where I am. Happy. Unfortunately for me, we were not called to comfort, but for greatness (another post for another time). So they'll be a lot that changes. As such, it's a summer of firsts.... and of many lasts as well (again, separate post on that). But through all of the firsts and the lasts, I've had a lot of time to reflect. And if there's anything you've learned from me by now it's that thinking is a very dangerous thing for me to do.
With that, we begin....
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How Am I Different?
Yep. That's what's been coming to mind. Over and over again. Certain things strike me in particular. I suppose a good place to start would be LTLC. I have an entirely separate post on my LTLC experience which can be found here. I actually read back over it as I was preparing to write this post. That week was the best week of my life so far. I tell that to everyone who asks what LTLC is like, and my answer is the same no matter who asks it. Lifeteen Leadership Conference 2012 was the best week of my life to date. I met so many amazing people, and grew in so many ways, that nothing else can really compare. I kept the journal I wrote that week, and still read over it from time to time when I need inspiration, or just a reminder of who I am. I'll never forget the memories of that week.
But that week isn't the point of this post. No, as I said, that was a year ago. LTLC 2013 has come and passed, and there are 500 new teens out there feeling exactly what I did as the retreat ended. It was something new. It wasn't a retreat high, but a true commitment to get my life started and turned around. And I held to it pretty well.... for a while.
As LTLC 2013 came and passed, it made me realize that it had been a year. Yes it's an obvious observation, but it hit me hard. It had been a whole year since I was there. Since I saw nuns walking down the street next to a game of frisbee; since I got to pray at the bench overlooking the river; since I talked to absolute strangers that grew into friends I still talk to to this day. A whole year. And that made me think. It's been a year. It was the best week of my life. I was changed, or so I said. So how am I different? What changes in my life have I made that make me any different than I was a year ago?
How have I changed? First I didn't want to even ask that question. It's a scary question to ask. It asks that we take a look at ourselves and deeply consider our lives as they were and as they are. That level of introspection is enough to frighten even the best of us. But it is a question that all of us need to ask.
I started to really think about it. And what I found.... well it was mixed. There were some areas of my life where I had soared to new heights. I had made even deeper friendships, and committed my life to God more than I ever had before. I had really committed to this blog and spreading God's love in this way. I had been nicer to my family, and worked more on the relationships I already had. And many other more personal things. But there were also many lows. True faith takes work. I'm going to repeat that again for emphasis. True Faith Takes Work. It's not something you wake up one day and decide: ok, I'm going to be close to God now. That's is a great start. It is a fantastic start. But that's all it is: a start. Then you have to take action. You have to pray each and everyday, developing the relationship between you and your Father. You have to go to the Sacraments. And you have to act. If there are areas of your life that are inconsistent with your beliefs, then sadly they have to go. It's not easy. But God never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it. Faith takes work. And as I took a hard look at my life, I realized that I hadn't been putting in my hours. I had a great start. But there were many areas of my faith life that needed fixing.
The great thing about that is that now I know. Jesus himself said He did not come to Heal the healthy but the sick. There are areas of my life that are still sick. Now that I know what they are, I can hand them over to Him to be fixed. I don't expect it to be easy. In fact I very readily expect it to be some of the hardest work I've ever done. But in the end it will be worth it. I mean what's a little work when you consider that all your effort is just bringing you closer and closer to Love, not just any love, but Love Himself.
I never would have recognized where I needed work if I hadn't been willing to ask myself the question How have I changed? We are all called to ask ourselves this question. Not just once a year, but monthly, weekly, even daily. How have I changed since I got up this morning? What do I need to do better tomorrow? A daily examination of conscience can help with this. See, as Catholics we are never called to remain where we are at. God is never done with us. We can always grow more. We might get comfortable with where we are at, but again, we are called for so much more. If we get too comfortable, we can begin to slide without knowing it, and end up further down than we've ever been before. Watching yourself, asking every once in a while "How have I changed?" is a great way to stop the slide. Once you know where you are at, you can better figure out how to get where you're going.
So it's been a year, and I've changed. I know that I have more work to do, but that with God's help I can do it. I can still be bold and set the world on fire, just as I said I would a year ago. My heart is still on fire. The fire has changed, but it's still there. The Way is still waiting for me to walk. Love is still right there, waiting for me to let Him in. Truth is staring me in the face, and I am ready to accept it. A lot has happened in a year.
It's been a year. How have you changed?
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2 Corinthians 5:17 says "So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." We are in Christ. We should be new. Asking yourself what has changed can help you grow. Then each and every day you can be that new creation.
Finding a song for today was difficult. But I think it found just the one.
This is the first day of the rest of your life
This is the first day of the rest of your life
'Cause even in the dark, you can still see the light
It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright
The song is "Hold Us Together" by Matt Maher. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Once you find what's broken, you can fix it. Today is the only day you are guaranteed. Take full advantage of it. Be the best you that you can be. This is the first day of the rest of your life. Make your changes. How are you different today than yesterday?
