Be Satisfied With Me

"Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you." – Psalm 63:3

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!! ❤ Today is the feast day of a wonderful saint who was a priest and martyr for the faith. St. Valentine is the patron saint of love, couples, young people and happy marriages. For many many years now, people have been exchanging Valentine cards to express their love and affection for one another. This goes back to a legend of St. Valentine. While he was in jail, on the eve of his death, he wrote a farewell note to the jailer's daughter and signed it "From your Valentine."

Although this day is meant to commemorate a great saint, it has become commercialized to the extreme.  Around the end of January you can't go into a store without seeing hearts, balloons, and dazzling cards with red and pink sparkles. However, these materialistic goods can be used as a kind gesture from the heart if given in moderation and for sentimental value. I personally love giving and receiving Valentine cards or eating Valentine cookies with friends and family. It's a time to show how much you truly care about those you love and hold close to your heart.

If you have a spouse or a special someone to share the day with it can be a lot more enjoyable! Maybe the two of you have a date planned for the evening or an outing with a group of friends. If you're a Catholic couple, maybe you'll spend it in Adoration with Jesus. Or maybe you'll stay at home and watch a fun and uplifting romantic comedy together. Whatever it may be, it is always nice to be with the one you love.

That being said, I do feel for all of the single folks out there. Not having a Valentine on Valentine's Day can be tough; especially when you see lots of other couples walking around, holding hands, and staring into each other's eyes. Everybody wants to be loved—and it's okay to feel this way. But it's not okay to dwell on it so much that it brings your spirits down. Remember, moping is not hoping.

One of my friends that I talked to last night emailed me a beautiful prayer today. It is a prayer written by St. Anthony of Padua and it's perfect for singles on Valentine's Day. After reflecting on this prayer, Be Satisfied with Me, I feel as though Jesus is asking for our trust and complete surrender as Catholic singles in waiting. He wants us to fall totally and completely in love with Him first before we meet the right "one." Although I know my greatest love is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, there is a certain plan He has for me that only He knows. He has a plan for all of us! What we need to do is pour out our love for Jesus and then things will just fall into place according to His great plan. The more we plan on our own the more we could possibly be getting in the way of His bigger and better plan for us.

So whether you are single, married, divorced, or widowed let us give all of our fears to Jesus and have Him enlighten us with His hope and love. Let us be satisfied with Him and know that all things happen in His own good time.

Notre Dame Basilica Wedding

Be Satisfied With Me by St. Anthony of Padua

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.

But to a Christian, God says, "No, not until you are satisfied,
Fulfilled and content with being loved by Me alone,
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me.
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship with Me alone.

Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship,
That I have planned for you.
You will never be united to another
Until you are united with Me.
Exclusive of anyone or anything else.
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning, to stop wishing, and allow Me to give you
The most thrilling plan existing... one you cannot imagine.
I want you to have the best.
Please allow Me to bring it to you.

You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.
Just wait, that's all. Don't be anxious, don't worry.
Don't look around at things other have gotten
Or that I have given them
Don't look around at the things you think you want,
Just keep looking off and away up to Me,
Or you'll miss what I want to show you.
And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love
Far more wonderful than you could dream of.

You see, until you are ready, and until the one I have for you is ready,
I am working even at this moment
To have both of you ready at the same time.
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me."

In Your Time

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." 
- Ecclesiastes 3:1

Recently I saw a movie with my family this past weekend called "In Time" starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. It came out last year and I really wanted to see it in theaters, but I finally got to see it now. It was an enjoyable action-packed movie. But if you know the story, time is literally money. It is the currency of the era.  Everyone is in a hurry to make ends meet so they don't run out of time---because if they do, they'll die.

It seems to remind me of what can happen in today's society. People often rush too much to enjoy life. They are only looking forward to a better time, in the future, that may never come. Eventually they let life slip away. They are so set in their own ways that God has no chance to step in and correct their path. Of course God wants to help, because His timing is perfect! But the question is, will we let Him? Will we let His time come to pass instead of our own?

In chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes it says:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

God's time directly correlates to trusting Him with patience. Sometimes I try to think how God works...and then I realize that I cannot possibly comprehend His greatness. God is so amazing and so perfect! He has the perfect timing in His plan for each of us. That is why it is so important that we don't mess with it. Forcing our own will with hasty decisions can alter the path that God wants us to take. If we keep His timing and His Will in our prayers we will eventually know what He wants from us. Somehow, someway, God will let us know what His plan is for us. It is not like it's a big secret that He is trying to keep from you. Our Lord wants you to know the plan He has for you. But again, it is placing your trust in Him so that His plan will happen in His time.

God has a map for our lives with His time. It is not predestination because we are given the choice to follow Him or not. If we follow Him we will never get lost. But sometimes we get distracted down the road. I remember last month my friends and I were driving from Tampa to St. Petersburg. It is about an hour away so we used a GPS to get there since we didn't know the way. However, the GPS failed as we were on the highway. While all this was happening I was on the phone with a friend in the backseat and my other friends were talking and singing with the music. Suddenly we realized the GPS wasn't working as we approached a fork in the road. We didn't know which way to take, but luckily my friend Michelle turned left and it was the right way. But then we came to another split. We turned left again hoping we would be lucky a second time. However we ended up going the wrong way, so we had to backtrack. This is just a simple example of how being distracted in life and making a fast decision can literally take you down the wrong path, leading you away from God's perfect plan.

In simple words, let God be the watch of your destiny. He will always show you the right time at the right moment. Let God be the compass of your heart. He will point you in the right direction, always. So whenever you can't find your way, rely on God to help guide you in prayer. He will, always.

Song "Your Time" by upcoming Catholic music artist Sarah Kroger. Lyric video made by my friend Therese.