Tomorrow I turn thirty. And as I wrap up my thirtieth year ex utero, I’m feeling remarkably wise and mature–or at least blessed to follow a God who teaches me the same lesson over and over and over until I mostly get it. I’m not who I should be, but (praise God!) I’m not who I was. Here are the most important things I’m still trying to learn:
- If Jesus is God, that changes everything. Everything in your life has to look different because you (all of you, without exception) are loved beyond reason by Love himself.
- Jesus is God.
- The mercy of God is nowhere more evident than in the confessional. Go to confession. You have nothing to lose but your sin and your shame. You have everything to gain.
- There is nothing you can do to make God stop loving you and aching for you. He went to hell and back for you. He’d do it again.
- Prayer works.
- There’s never a good reason not to be kind.
- Kind is not the same as nice.
- God’s plan is always better.
- Bad prayer is better than no prayer.
- It’s going to be okay. Not because everything’s going to work out and everyone you love is going to be happy and healthy but because there is more to this life than this life.
- “Life holds only one tragedy: not to have been a saint.”1
- I am all beautiful and beloved and there is no blemish in me.2
- Self-loathing is not humility.
- God is not good because of what he does but because of who he is.
- Jesus didn’t just die for me, he lived for me. Every moment of every day for me.
- If you’re too busy to pray, you’re too busy.
- There is great freedom in submission.
- Joy is not just a side effect of the Christian life, it is a duty.
- It’s all grace. Every good thing and every failure, too–grace.
- It doesn’t matter what people think. Only God matters.
- Nothing but sin merits shame.
- “The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host.”3
- People are different. There’s no one way to be holy.
- If you ask God to teach you to trust, he might take you up on it. Buckle your seat belt.
- If your life isn’t built around prayer it’ll start to unravel.
- Men and women are different–and that really matters.
- “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”4
- Every life is a gift. There is no such thing as an unwanted child.
- I can’t save anyone–but I also can’t mess up so badly that they’re condemned. It’s just not about me.
- I am deeply, unceasingly loved by a God who sees me as I am and knows I can be better.
It might be tacky, friends, but I’m going to ask you for a birthday present. Will you go to confession tomorrow? My favorite thing in the world is convincing people to go to confession and odds are really good that your church has confession at some point tomorrow, probably right before the vigil. So go! Especially if it’s been a long time and it’s going to be an ugly one; that’s the best kind of confession. It’ll be the best present you ever gave me–even if I never know.5
Also, you might be a hobo if your plans for the next 8 months look something like this:
Broadly, anyway. Google Maps wouldn’t let me have more than 25 destinations.
- Leon Bloy [↩]
- Sgs 4:7 [↩]
- Ven. Fulton Sheen [↩]
- C.S. Lewis [↩]
- But you should tell me. What a great birthday–all filled with emails and comments telling me people across the world are being washed in the blood of the Lamb!! [↩]
#16 is the one I really needed to hear. And I will try to go to Confession soon. Does that count? It’s kinda hard with three kids. I could take the youngest with me and the oldest needs to go herself; but that mid-kid…just can’t trust him to sit in a pew by himself.
Rabia @TheLiebers recently posted…Five Minute Friday: She
Rabia, if we both make an appointment to go to confession early (ish) some Saturday morning, I will take care of your kids while you are in the confessional. And Frances could go to confession, too!
I’d offer to help during regular confession hours, but the pumpkin patch is open then, and Saturday should be a really busy day. :-/
I love getting your blog by email, but somehow in the way you have it set up, the email is almost wider than my screen and I have a wide screen. Many people have the old standard style monitor and probably have to scuttle back and forth to read it.
So, great post, but it was hard to read.
I don’t know that there’s anything I can do about that. It probably depends on your browser and your email service. Sorry!
What an encouraging post! I especially like #4.
The vocation you are discerning is noble and holy. My wife and I are in a Josephite marriage, and it has done wonders in my walk with God. I’m praying for you!
Topaz recently posted…Another Court Date
Just looked through your blog a little–God bless you! Are you working with a spiritual director? It’s a totally different role from a therapist and might be particularly helpful given your relationship with your wife. Praying for you!
I guess I’ve been confused about the term “spiritual director.” I always thought it referred to the priest to whom I regularly confess. Is it a separate role? I need to look into that in my parish. Thank you for your prayers! I’m praying for you too!
Topaz recently posted…The Joyful Mysteries
http://www.rcspiritualdirection.com should help. Ask your pastor for recommendations!
Happy early birthday friend! Beautiful list you put together here. What a great reminder for all of us. I hope when you’re back in the NoVa area you’ll let me take you out to coffee or froyo or something to catch up. I have always been blessed by having really great people surrounding me in my life and helping shape me into a better Christian and person, and you and your family are among the ones I’m most grateful for. In this coming year, I’m wishing you ice-free roads, sufficient places to sleep and a continuing ability to change hearts and open minds everywhere you go.
I would love that! Thanksgiving 🙂 And thank you for the kind words–it’s such a blessing to have you in my life!
Happy 30th!
I enjoy reading your blog.
Meg,
Happy Birthday! I seem to remember a Friday 6:15 Mass your Senior year of high school when you showed with in the blue Explorer covered in birthday wishes. You were in my prayers yesterday. Safe travels! Come and see me when you’re in town!
Happy Birthday! May ALL your wishes come true!
Happy birthday, Meg! I went to confession in your honour.:-) It was a good one, too.
Our priest had literally just returned from the ordination Mass of our new bishop, who was consecrated this afternoon: Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh. Our priest was quite moved by the ceremony, and impressed with the kindness of our new bishop. It’s been a difficult year for our archdiocese, so prayers for Archbishop Leo and our small portion of the Church here in Scotland would be appreciated.
I hope to meet up with you on one of my journeys back home in the States! We actually just missed each other a couple of times this summer, before I found your blog, when I was doing a 2-month road trip from Chicago to Vancouver to San Diego back to Chicago talking to professional Christian theatre companies and members of religious orders working in the professional performing arts. Your vocation really speaks to me; if you’re willing, I’d love to share a little bit of my discernment journey with you via e-mail.
Blessings on you!
Cole
Cole Matson recently posted…Consecrated Life and the Artistic Vocation
Meg,
Thanks for the push to get to me to Confession today and Happy Birthday!
Totally went to confession in honor of your birthday, m’dear. Thanks for the reminder. And I wish you were coming just a tad closer to Tallahassee so we could meet up for coffee! Waaaaaa!
Haley @ Carrots for Michaelmas recently posted…I’m a Mother, Not the CEO of My Household
Thanks! And I’m sure I will be eventually–I’ll let you know 🙂
Happy Birthday!
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