I'm celebrating my 400th post today by unpacking. It's very glamorous.
The fact that I am unpacking is actually such a wonderful thing. It's been a journey to get here, to this place, and I am proud of my work.
The other day I was feeling a bit down and confused, wondering what plans God has in store for my life journey, and what the next steps are. With my morning coffee in hand, I sat down with my Devotional Bible and flipped it open. The little devotional reading for this day happened to be from Mother Teresa. If you can't take advice from Mother Teresa, I'm not sure who you can take advice from.
"Little Things
Always be faithful in little things, for in them our strength lies. To God nothing is little. He cannot make anything small; they are infinite. Practice fidelity in the least things, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the great thing that is the will of God, and which I respect greatly.
Do not pursue spectacular deeds. We must deliberately renounce all desires to see the fruit of our labor, doing all we can as the gift of your self, the degree of love that you put into each one of your actions.
Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best. Neither glory in your success, but refer to God in deepest thankfulness.
If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinions. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. The Lord has will me here where I am. He will offer a solution." ~Mother Teresa of Calcutta
What response to her words could I have other than to say, "Yes, ok." Those words, so simple, yet so powerful and full of wisdom have done a good job of "setting me free". I will proceed forward confidently in trusting God has a plan for my life, talents, needs, and desires. All the while, I will accomplish what is set before me as best I can. No need to worry-- He's got me covered! I'll take care of the children, tend the house, see to what needs to be taken care of today. It's what is before me, it is all I can do. The degree of love to which I do each task is what matters. It's a beautiful thought, really. Am I tending each thing with love? Am I moving forward in thankfulness? Perhaps not to the greatest degree that is in my capability-- so I will try to love harder, more, and fully. The tangible evidence of how freeing that is is made clear when I let go and just take a next step forward, not worrying so much about the outcome as much as about the fact that I am still moving forward. Beautiful things happen!
Extraordinary opportunities have presented themselves lately, and I am so excited. Some of the most exciting news for me is that I was recently asked to be a contributor to
Catholic Sistas blog. I'll be sharing recipes and crafts there. I hope you'll join me over there to check out some new and fun things. It gives me a chance to join an amazing team of women, and to share my talents to a broader audience. I feel truly honored, and so excited. I think things are going to come together quite nicely in the upcoming months.
All my little bits of life are starting to come together into something cohesive, and that gives me some heart-rest. It's beautiful to see how God works in the little things to make a clearer picture for us of what is important. Mother Teresa was very wise in saying to not bother about other peoples opinions. What is right for one person is not necessarily what we are all called to be or do. We're not all blessed with the same talents, or the same life situations. We can only move forward from the place we are in, not from a place of what we hope would have been. We can move forward with hope for the future, though. And that's what I have-- hope for the future.
My hope for the future is that it brings many blessings on my family and those that I encounter. This great adventure isn't over. Everyday is a new beginning, and I am excited to see where we end up!
Here's to 400 more posts full of life and love.
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