Here And Now

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

I've realized sometimes we think too much about the future and what it holds. It's good to plan ahead for certain things in the short term. But most of our long term situations are out of our control. God wants us to be present where we are at this time. By thinking so much about the future we miss out on today. Dwelling on thoughts that question where we are headed in life make us doubt the Lord and what He has to offer. 

God knows the desires of your heart. He truly wants to give you all that you desire and more! But in order for His plan to transpire we must trust and surrender to His Holy Will...even if we do not yet understand it. It can be extremely difficult to give all of your fears and worries to Him, but that is where faith comes in. Faith, in itself, is complete trust. Igniting our faith in the Lord with prayer and supplication helps us to release our fears and surrender to His Will.

Every once in a while I'll catch myself thinking about why God put me in Florida, where I am today. I never chose to be here, but here I am. Don't get me wrong... I'm ssoooo thankful to be here! I love living in the Sunshine State. I love my friends, family, church, school, Disney World, beaches, and everything else about Florida. But sometimes I wonder where my future husband is. It makes me sad to think maybe he's not living close to me...and then I think maybe I would be happier living there, wherever he is. However, now I see that it doesn't matter if he's living half way across the world... I know God will bring him to me at the right time, in the right place, at the right moment, and in the right way.

Right now, apparently, I'm not suppose to be with him. Right now I'm just suppose to be living my life as myself — a Catholic college student (in Florida) that loves God, family, friends, and being an artist. You are also meant to be where you are today. The school you go to, the place you work at, the friends you meet, and the city you live in is all part of God's plan for your life. It's so easy to get caught up in "what if" scenarios. But at the end of the day, all the possibilities don't matter. What matters is right now. Just by dwelling on the future doesn't help us get there. It's what we do now with the opportunities presented to us which will produce an outcome... hopefully in accordance with God's Will if we've surrendered to Him.

All of this reminds me that a few days ago on Twitter I saw @TheSingleWoman post, "You are where you are, at the time that you are, for a reason. Don't waste it by wishing to be somewhere else." That really hit home with me. As I approach graduation I still wonder where God wants me to go. But dwelling on where I should be or shouldn't be, as I said before, won't help me get there. Just by taking it one day at a time I'm sure that I'll find out where I am suppose to go and how I will get there. Trusting in the Lord takes patience! This is why I'm currently praying a 54-day Rosary Novena for my future husband and career path. In time, God will answer me. I just have to patiently wait for His answer while continuing to be the best person I can be, which is what He calls all of us to.

As for you young ladies seeking a future spouse, I found this blog post by The Catholic Young Woman called Right Now, which I encourage you to read. It's really good! The post is filled with lots of insight on why prayer is for now and being with your future beloved is for later. I would also recommend that you pray a 54-day Rosary Novena for your future spouse. A really funny Catholic lady, Jackie Francois, prayed this novena and miraculously received her answer! Right now she is 28-years old, and even though she would have liked to have met her beloved earlier in life, this was the right moment for her. I'm so happy for Jackie and Bobby! They are an adorable couple. If you'd like to check out their blog site go to this link: http://bobbyandjackie.com/. They have a great inspirational story that gives hope to us young woman who are seeking a holy, Catholic man of God.

I truly believe God has a very special purpose for your life. Don't lose hope if you feel that you're not sure where to go. Just put all your faith and trust Him even when it is tough. I guarantee that you'll be happier and more satisfied with yourself in the end if you do than if you don't.  ...Thanks for reading my blog post! Have a wonderful day and God bless. :)

SEEK A New Year With New Beginnings

"And he that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And he said unto me, 'Write: for these words are true and faithful.'" - Revelation 21:5

Hello my dear friends in Christ! Today we celebrate the feast day of the Holy Family. As we approach a new year let us continue to bless our own families with constant love and support. At times we may hurt the ones we love most just because they are part of our family. With that being said, we need to begin again and renew the love of Christ between our family members or at least ignite the fire of love for them in a more passionate and selfless way.

Speaking of a new year with new beginnings I've decided to go to the SEEK conference in January held by FOCUS (The Fellowship of Catholic University Students). It's amazing how fast time flies. I registered for this event in October and the new year is almost here! Just a few more days before I'm off to visit with over 6,000 other Catholics from around the nation! I'm so excited to engage with my fellow peers in Jesus Christ. This should be a wonderful opportunity to make new friendships and foster old ones. It is a time for us to celebrate the presence of the living God in Holy Communion and Adoration. There will also be some wonderful speakers there, including Matthew Kelly, Leah Darrow, and Jason Evert. As you can tell, I'm really excited!

But in all honesty, I had no idea how this would all come together. In October I had registered without knowing if any of my friends were going. I had asked a bunch of people if they wanted to come with me, but unfortunately they were all going to be busy at the time. However, I was determined to go. So I signed up anyways. Since my school does not have a FOCUS group on campus I was worried that I would go and not know anyone! But God truly makes things work out for the best. After some time I heard that more and more of my friends were going to come too. So just by trusting in Him I signed up for something that seems like it's going to be a very enjoyable experience with some of my friends—even though I didn't know it at the time.

Besides hanging out with my fellow Catholic friends, this is an opportunity for me to discern my future in a more intimate way in the presence of God. For a while I have been constantly discerning what God's future plan is for me when I graduate college. I have some thoughts in mind, but every time I consider what I might want to do I become even more confused. I think going to an event like this will hopefully make my paths clearer in my discernment. So while I'm at this event I will be going to seek Him and keep you in my prayers. I greatly appreciate you for reading my blog. Thanks for your support. Please pray for me too as I embark on this journey soon!!! God bless you in the New Year of 2013. *Note: Also if you are going to SEEK hope to see you there!* ;)

SEEK2013 : what moves you from FOCUSNational on Vimeo.

Patiently Waiting For God's Will

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Hello dear friends in Christ! I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything on here for a while. I have not forgotten about this blog. My life has just been very busy! As some of you may know, my grandmother passed away in March. It was sad to see her go, but I am very happy that she is no longer suffering and is with God now. After the funeral I was completely consumed with my schoolwork, studying for finals, work, my friends (and their drama plus my own drama lol), family, and life. It has been very hectic, but I'm pleased that summer is finally here and I can relax a bit more.

I hope everyone had a great Easter season! During this time I've been trying to seek God's Will for me and my life. It has just been so hard with so many things going on all at once. I'm just praying that God will give me the patience I need in order to seek His Will and not my own.

Let me share with you a story about my sister. It's interesting because it is so important to know that sometimes what we think is the best plan for us may not actually be. God may truly have something so much better that He wants to give us, if we let Him.

Earlier in May I was helping my sister get ready for her senior prom. She wore this beautiful navy-blue dress with high heel silver shoes. She was absolutely stunning! Her date was a very lucky man that evening. The two had a great time dancing the night away. Then it came time to announce the senior class notables. My sister told me that she was nominated to receive the "most sincere" award. It's really funny because when I was a senior I got the same award from my class and it was a complete surprise because I didn't think I was even nominated. Since she knew that I received it before she was almost a shoe-in for it this time. However, when they called the name for "most sincere" it was not her name.

At first she was disappointed, but at the same time happy for the girl who did receive it. She knew that she wasn't going to let the silly award ruin her night. She was having so much fun with her date and all her friends! Still, in the back of her mind, she was thinking about it and lost in thought. She wasn't even paying full attention when they did call her name for prom court.

One of her friends was like, "That's you!!! Go!!" Still in shock, my sister went up to receive the award of prom princess. Instead of getting a notable award and a single red rose, she received an entire bouquet of flowers and a crown. Another girl ended up being prom queen... but that was fine. She didn't care. Her class did recognize her and crowned her as prom princess! What an honor! And the crazy thing is, she didn't even knew they had a prom princess. What a surprise!

So the moral of the story is... you may think you know what you want, and you may have good reason to believe so. But in the end, God always has the best in store for you, even when you have no idea what that could be! It is important to place your trust and faith in God and completely surrender to His Holy Will.

I have really been trying to surrender recently. And I'll tell you, it is hard. It doesn't come easy. But I guarantee it will be rewarding. Whatever it may be that you are waiting for (and trust me, we are all waiting for something) ...a job, an acceptance letter to a school, an answer to an important phone call, or something much bigger -- like your future spouse -- always, always, ALWAYS make sure you go to God first. Don't let your own judgment of what you think is best get it the way of what actually is the very best! Here is a great quote from Fulton Sheen that I really liked.

"Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is 'timing' it waits on the right time to act, for the right principals and in the right way." 

Trust in God. Let Him bring you through the unknown, which will give you strength. It will strengthen your faith, your prayer, and your desire to seek what He truly wants to give you.