"The Lord will work out His plans for our life - for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for You made me." - Psalm 138:8

This verse is simple, but can be really helpful in our lives. I think we have all heard that God will take care of our lives and make things work out, but how beautiful it is to be able to pray in faith that we truly believe that He will take care of us! There is one thing to hear something about God, but there is something else to believe that truth in faith. And I think this verse just gives us a beautiful example of how to make that happen in our everyday lives. This week I challenge you to step out in faith. Think about a truth of the faith that you have heard over and over, but haven't really taken to heart. This week, take the step of faith and proclaim it with faith! Radical faith will change this world. 

God bless you all! You are in my prayers.

"The Lord himself will fight for you, you have only to keep still." - Exodus 14:14

This is one of my all-time favorite Scripture verses. I think it is especially fitting during this midterm week, when many people are very stressed and have lots to do. With whatever trials you are facing, whatever battles may be in your life right now, whether they are large or small, we can look to this verse. The Lord will fight for us. He will help us. He is here in the midst of everything we are going through. All we have to do is be still and trust Him. We need to stay in His Presence and in His love. This week I challenge you to trust in Him. Much easier said then done, but allow the Lord to fight for you. 

The saint quote this week is from St. Therese of Lisieux: 

"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love." 

Have a wonderful week! You are in my prayers!! :) 

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." - Ephesians 2:10

This verse recently stuck out to me and I liked it so much I hung it up above my desk so I can read it every day. Not only does this verse help us realize our dignity and who we are in Christ, but it also helps us understand the mission He has in store for us. As the verse says, we are God's masterpiece. This doesn't mean we are just an afterthought or an accident of His, but we are His masterpiece! How incredible is that! A masterpiece is carefully planned, put together with so much thought and love, and after it is completed, it is admired by all, but especially by the one who created it. I told a story to the high schoolers at Totus Tuus this summer that my friend had shared with me. While she was at Adoration one day, there was a little boy in the pew in front of her. He was coloring and working really hard to make his artwork just right. When he had finished, the little boy held up his drawing and admired it. He smiled at it and held it up in different lights to truly admire what he had created. He delighted in it, and could see an expression of himself in it. In the same way, God looks at us, His beloved masterpieces. He delights in us and holds us up to see us in different lights. And He can see an expression of Himself in us! This is so exciting!! The second part of the verse addresses what we are called to do. Because we have become new in Christ, we are able to accomplish the good things that He has planned for us to accomplish. It is only when we find our identity and worth in Christ that we are able to work for His good. This week I challenge you to see yourself in God's mirror. Rather than focus on the how we see ourselves, let us see ourselves as the beloved children God has created us to be. 

This week's saint quote comes from St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower: 

"It is your arms, Jesus, which are the lift to carry me to heaven. And so there is no need for me to grow up. In fact, just the opposite: I must stay little and become less and less." 

May God bless you abundantly this week! I am praying for you! :) 

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." - Luke 10:41-42

This verse is somewhat of a classic, but every time I read it I am given a wonderful reality check. This was especially the case when I came across this verse a couple weeks ago and realized how often I fail to follow it. I don't think there is a person alive who doesn't have many things that they could worry about. In our hectic society, it is so easy to find things to become anxious and worried about. With that, I think the first half of this verse is very easy to relate to. All too often I know I definitely find myself anxious and worried about many things. But it is far less frequent that I take a step back and realize the reality that the second half of this verse is talking about. In this verse, Mary is sitting at the feet of Christ, fully listening to what He has to say and in a sense, growing in relationship with Him. This relationship is growing because she is in His Presence, giving Him her full attention, and not being distracted by any other cares or worries. Mary isn't distracted by petty passing things that won't matter in the end, but she realizes that true fulfillment and eternal life is found only in Christ the Lord. However, it is a choice. The verse clearly states that "Mary has chosen the better part." She could have been distracted and anxious, but she chose to immerse herself in Christ instead. I think it is this complete absorption in the Person of Christ that we should strive for this week. Rather than allowing the stresses and busyness of your week to get the best of you, stop and spend a moment with Christ. After all, it came from the very mouth of Jesus that this is "the better part." Be still, and know that He is God, and He has the words of eternal life. 

The saint quote of the week is from St. Josemaria Escriva: 

"Lord make us crazy with a contagious craziness that will draw many to your apostolate." 

Have a blessed week! May God be with you! :) You're in my prayers. 

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:14

I think this verse really offers a reality check. A lot of times, I find it very easy to fall into the mindset that it is my life and so I should pray in the way that is best for me, meaning the way I feel closest to God, etc. But this verse makes me realize the reality that God is more powerful than I am. He truly is GOD and I am not. This verse discusses our prayers being pleasing to the Lord. How often do we think about how our prayer will please the Lord instead of how much we get out of it? I know when my life gets busy, I think less about what God would want and more about what is best for me at the moment. This goes for other things in our lives besides prayer though. It can be extremely easy to just think about what immediately feels good and less about what is truly the will of God. This week I challenge you to really seek to discover God's will. Before acting based on what is instantly most comfortable for you, take a moment to consider what God's will may be for you in that situation. Ask Him to reveal what He wants for you, and become a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord. 

Here is a quote for this week from St. Francis de Sales:

"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." 

Have a wonderful week! You will be in my prayers. :) May God bless you abundantly! 

"The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me." - Psalm 138:8

I think a large part of the Christian life is having confidence in prayer. We may ask for things in prayer or brings situations to prayer, but how often do we completely trust that God will take care of that situation? This week I challenge you to pray with boldness! Trust that He will be faithful! :) 

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying." - 1 Thess. 1:2

Very simple verse, but not so simple to live out. How can we be joyful when someone cuts us off in traffic? How can we be joyful when we got very little sleep last night and we have what seems like a thousand things to do today? I think being joyful is very much a choice we make. Although it is truly a gift of God, we will not have joy without Him, it is very much our decision to handle things with joy. However, being joyful does not mean being happy at negative or bad things. It means treating other people patiently and lovingly, and accepting God's will in all circumstances, positive or negative. And this leads into the second half of the verse, "never stop praying,"  because it is not possible to always be joyful unless one is always praying. Joy comes from the Lord, and prayer is the way in which we communicate and connect to the Lord. But prayer doesn't necessarily mean you always have to praying the Rosary or saying an Our Father. Offering up a difficult homework assignment, dedicating a workout, or being grateful for the sunshine you see are all ways of prayer. By having a heart of gratitude, it is easy to make every moment into a prayer. This week I challenge you to pray in a way that you haven't in the past. Offer up a daily activity that you haven't offered before as a prayer to the Lord. Rely on the Lord as your strength and your joy.