Smile: It's Just a Trial :)

          Blessed Mother Teresa once said “I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.” When I read this, I agreed completely. There has been many times where I have felt like my cross was too heavy to carry. I felt the weight of the situation crushing me and did not think I could take another step. God, however, knew my strength better than I did, and when I needed to be carried (or dragged). Like this:

          Other times, it seemed like God "wasn't listening" and that He was letting me struggle. I felt frustrated and confused. Looking back on it now, I realized that God knew I was strong enough to get through it. The reason He knew I was strong enough was because He was the one giving me the strength. As it says in Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength", and with that I was able to get through the trials. I realized that God has had me undergo these trial to prepare me so that this didn't happen:

          God gives us the strength that we need often in the form of grace. In a trial I am undergoing now, a priest advised me to just keep bringing grace into it. Awesome idea, but how? The way I have found to do this is to turn the burdens into blessings. One way to do this is to offer it up in prayer! PRAY PRAY PRAY! Novenas in particular have a special place in my heart. A friend of mine once told me that they aren’t magic spells, but they bring quite a lot of grace! In my trial, the novenas I have prayed have rejuvenated me because they give me hope and comfort. I feel closer to God, and am more accepting of the state that I am in. It was almost as if I could feel the grace carrying me through everything.

          Another thing you can do is love others! Pray for the one that is hurting you. Pray for their healing, their happiness, and their well-being. When your thoughts start to turn negative, do something positive for someone else, whether that be a friend, a stranger, or the one who is hurting you. The amount of grace that comes from this is AMAZING (Ha! Pun!), and lightens the cross since it is now a blessing instead of a burden. My campus minister likes to say, “You can’t have the resurrection without the crucifixion”. That is so true! Life is not very easy, and even though sometimes I wish it was, I am glad it is not. Often the things that are truly worth something in life come with a struggle. The pain, however, will not last forever! There are great things ahead! So stay strong. Bring grace into it. Most importantly, SMILE: It’s just a trial.

Happy smiling!

Your Sister In Christ,

Dani