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  

Modesty Makeover: Soul Edition "Why Should We Be Modest?"

Hey guys!
The second video for the Modesty Makeover: Soul Edition series has been posted! You can watch it right here on this very blog! Fascinating technology!

Enjoy the day!

Your Sister In Christ,
Dani

Let Go, Let God

I really like spreadsheets.  They help me to organize and plan everything to the last detail and then I proceed to worry about everything to the last detail. Now I know you’re all probably wondering, what does this have anything to do with the post title? Well you see, I was exploring the realm of Twitter, and stumbled upon Mark Hart’s tweet “Oh, how boring life would be if God did things our way. He has a plan. #trustHim”. After reading that, I started thinking about how God probably doesn’t use spreadsheets. In fact, He has everything all planned out and there is no need to worry. Yet, I still worry and plan. I am getting better at not doing this and am trying really hard to Let Go, and Let God.  Now how do we do this? A few ways I have found helpful are...

 

     ADORATION:

This is me in Adoration (Yes, another Disney reference and the meme I was talking about!)

I love Adoration. It is a wonderful place to just sit with Jesus and let Him talk to you. I always feel at peace after visiting Jesus, and my worries subside. I like to go on Mondays because it helps me to not worry so much about what I have to do that week, and puts Christ on my mind instead.

   

      BIBLE:

       The Bible is constantly reminding us of how God loves us and that there is no need to worry because He has it all planned. Here are two of my many favorites to meditate on when I am worried about something (especially in coughcoughADORATIONcoughcough).

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

^- Luke 1:45

“Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand”

-Isaiah 41:10

 

      SAINTS:

Saints are so cool. They are great role models (or Soul Models) and say some pretty powerful things! Reading what they have to say gives me strength and peace. A friend of mine wrote me a note with a quote by Blessed John Paul II on it, which I read whenever I feel stressed. The quote is:

“Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.”

-Blessed John Paul II

I also really like this one by St. Padre Pio. It is very easy to memorize, and I am currently trying to make it my mantra! It is basically the Catholic “Hakuna Matata”:

“Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”  
–St. Padre Pio

 THIS SONG:  

This song is called “Letting Go” (Wow! Fits this blog post perfectly!) by Stephanie Smith. My youth minister played it for me awhile back, and now I play it when I need to be reminded to Let Go and Let God. Here is the song below, I highly recommend listening to it and reflecting on it!

When we recognize that God is in control and that He loves us and is taking care of us, our lives become a lot less stressful. We don’t have to have all the answers, or have everything planned out on a spreadsheet (even though they can be helpful and my youth minister likes them a lot. Hi Dan! I’m on the Internet now!). God has all the answers, and He has the perfect plan for you and for me. We do not have to worry because He loves us and is taking care of us. We just have to trust Him. It is hard to do, but know that I am right there with you also trying to Let Go and Let God.

Love is calling.

Happy free-falling! (Listen to the song and that will make sense)

Your Sister In Christ,

Dani

Modesty Makeover: Soul Edition "What Is Modesty?"

Modesty Makeover Soul Edition has officially begun! The first video is called "What Is Modesty?" and you can watch it right here on this very blog! Wow!

Have a beautiful day!

Your Sister in Christ,
Dani 

What Is UP With My Faith?

Once upon a time, my youth minister asked me to describe my faith in one word. I picked “puppy”.

Yup, that’s right, I said puppy.

PUPPY.

This may sound odd, but it makes sense I promise. The wonderful movie “UP” describes this concept quite well.

So this is me:

‘Hi. My name is Dani. I have just met you, and I love you.  My master made me this collar. He is a good and smart master and he made me this collar so that I may speak”

God is my amazing master! Sometimes though, this happens to me:

 

After I get over the distraction, it is then back to:

 

"My master is good and smart"

I describe my faith as "puppy" because I really do love God and want to please Him. I try to focus but sometimes SQUIRREL! I get distracted. There are a lot of "squirrels" in my life. They come in the form of school, relationships, friends, sports, technology, and especially the lovely Internet! They can even be sinful. Distractions are hard to overcome. I have found, however, that the more time I set aside for God, the less I get distracted. I still do get distracted A LOT, but I am getting there. God calls all of us to be "child-like" in faith, so I think "puppy-like" also applies here! So be a puppy. Love God without holding back, and when you get distracted do this:

 

Well, kind of. Love God yes, but not entirely sure how to go about the porch part.  I am still in puppy-training, and have a LONG way to go, but I have found that quiet time, turning off my phone, and organized prayer often help me focus. I encourage all of you to find what works for you to overcome distractions! Since I could not resist, here is the clip from this magnificent movie:

Happy Squirrel Conquering!

Your Sister in Christ,

Dani

St. Maria Goretti

I LOVE THIS SAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Name: Maria Goretti
Country: Italy
Patron of: Purity, Rape Victims, Youth
Feast Day: July 6th

Story:When Maria was 12 years old, she was attacked by her 18 year old neighbor Alexander. He tried to rape her, but when she would not submit, he began stabbing her with a knife. Maria was taken to the hospital, where she forgave Alexander, but died shortly after. Alexander was captured and imprisoned. At first, he was not at all remorseful. After having a dream of Maria, however, he was changed and repented. When he was released from prison after nearly 30 years, he asked Maria's mother for forgiveness. She forgave him with ease, remembering how her daughter was able to do so. When Maria became a saint, Alexander was there to see it. Maria is considered a martyr, but is primarily recognized for her forgiveness and purity.

Prayer Spotlight: Novenas

Novenas are one of my favorite ways to pray. They are typically nine days long, and invoke the intercession of a saint. I have found that it helps to pray the novena at the same time each day. Novenas are not magic spells, as a friend of mine once explained it. They are, however, very powerful and bring about a great amount of grace. Recently, I have become a novena junkie. I really enjoyed both the 54-Day Rosary Novena and the Infant of Prague Novena. The 54-Day Rosary Novena was very time consuming, and was actually six novenas strung together. Three were asking the request, and the next three were offering thanksgiving. It took about 15-20 minutes to pray each night, but it is completely worth it. The Infant of Prague Novena, on the other hand, is super short. It is said once an hour for nine hours in a single day or for multiple days if you so chose. (I have been! SO ADDICTING). Both prayers are beautiful, and have really brought grace and a sense of peace to my life (examples here). I encourage you all to give them a shot! Below is a link to several! Happy praying! :)

http://www.fisheaters.com/novenas.html#childjesus
 

 

How This All Started...

I have found that when I stop to think of the most beautiful women in the world, I do not think of the models in the magazine. I think of the models of faith. I think of women like my mom and my friends’ moms, living out the Christian faith in their households. I think of my Christian friends at school, standing up for the faith even when it is hard. I think of Christian speakers such as Jackie Francois, spreading the Word. I think of saints such as St. Maria Goretti sacrificing her life for her faith and forgiving her attacker immediately. Above all, I think of Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus. None of these women really look that much alike, like at all.

Here is St. Maria Goretti:

Here is Jackie Francois:
 

Here is Mary:

Yeah, I am not seeing much resemblance. The one thing these three beautiful women have in common (besides being great Soul Models) is the GLOW they have. Their faith radiates so brightly and strongly, that is just has this super bright GLOW. I am sure that many of you are curious as to why I am capitalizing GLOW.

                   I will tell you.

You see, the idea of this blog has been on my mind and heart for a long time. Somehow though, I always manage to wiggle out of it. Lately, however, I have felt more and more inclined to do it (especially since making my Youth Encounter, but more about that later!).

                So, here we are! Blogging! Why you may ask? Well, because my goal is to become like these women. I want to be a Girl Living Out the Word. I want to GLOW. I want all of you to GLOW as well. The truest and most lasting beauty I have ever seen comes from a deep faith in the Lord. In my mind, nothing can make someone more beautiful. We are all children of God, and He wants us to embrace that beauty! He wants us to love Him, and by doing that, we become the most beautiful versions of ourselves. We GLOW.

                On this blog I will be posting prayers, articles, songs, my own thoughts and much, much more! (Once I think of much, much more that is). I have some material I have had that I will post, but I am not sure when I will post new stuff yet… I will get back to you all on that! Another I should mention is that I am Catholic, so I will be posting Catholic teachings. I do believe, however, that the true beauty I mentioned can be seen in all denominations of the Christian faith! (My mom , for example, is Lutheran). Regardless of your denomination, I invite you to join me on this journey, and encourage you to embark on your own journey in faith. Your faith and your love of the Lord will make you truly beautiful. They will make you GLOW. As St. Augustine once said, “Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”

God Bless!

Your Sister in Christ,

Dani