transformative prayer

My prayer this Lent has been “Rid me of myself Lord, I belong to You.” And let me tell you...don’t pray that one unless you really mean it. I mean seriously it should come with a warning haha. When you pray a transformative prayer such as that one or even just repeat the name of Jesus several times, your life changes. Your heart requires it. And it’s the most amazing adventure I could ever dream of being on.

Free will is an interesting thing. Of course life would be "easier" if God programmed us to do good. But where's the beauty in that if we do not freely choose to do good? Then we aren't sacrificing at all which means we aren't loving at all. And as Jesus showed us...love IS sacrifice. Choosing to put another before ourselves. And it's so cool the way God will reveal that to you in a unique, perfectly tailored to you, kind of way.

Sometimes having free will can be frustrating. I know that seems surprising but think about it this way... When you truly want to please God in your decision making, it'd be so much easier for him to just make you pick the right decision or come down here and tell you what to do. Unfortunately we just have to trust that no matter what we choose God will be walking right beside us, as long as our heart's intentions are truly pure. (And even though I said unfortunately we are extremely fortunate because that is pretty dang amazing). On the other hand sometimes life throws a situation at you where you just genuinely do not know what to do. So tough that the options aren't even clear. What do you do then? You kneel down in front of the Blessed Sacrament and pray a transformative prayer. A simple repeated sentence that draws you in closer to God and gradually conforms your will to His. Can be "Jesus, I trust in You." Or just the name of Jesus repeated slowly. This allows Him to work. He works in mysterious ways. Not always right away, but if you lay whatever it is down at the foot of the cross not just once but constantly, every day, you can't lose. 

Although God cannot break His promise of free will to us, there is such thing as divine intervention. And thank God for that.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

5 Tips for Travelers.

1. Let go of the pressure to have the best time of your life.
Something about leaving the country makes you feel like everyday has to be a huge magical adventure. People will want to hear about your trip and you want to be able to say it changed your life/it was incredible/you wish you could go back. The truth is not everyday is going to be perfect. If it was it wouldn't be real life. Embrace the good days as well as the bad and let yourself be free to just exist.

2. Challenge yourself to be less needy.
In America we know exactly how to get everything we want when we want it. Traveling requires us to be problem solvers such as to find the nearest bathroom, buy water, get food, etc. As you're going about your days ask yourself if what you're looking for is really necessary. You'll be surprised how long you can go without things and if you just go a minute more without whatever it is you may realize you don't actually need it.

3. Take at least 5 minutes a day to reflect.
There's no way you're going to be able to process everything as it's happening. Slow down at the end or middle of each day to talk through what went well, what didn't, how you want to improve tomorrow, and make a list of things you're thankful for.

4. Break free from the group more than once.
It's easy to go with the flow of the group and just do what everyone else wants to do. It's a safe choice because if it's fun you're having fun too and if it's not so great you're not the only one having a not so great time. But maybe what the group is doing isn't truly what you want to be doing. Slip away a few times and you may surprise yourself. You may find something you didn't even know about or discover independence is not such a bad thing at all.

5. Be kind to everyone you pass.
You represent the country you are from and you'd be surprised how easy it is for people to tell where you're from. Maybe the country you're in isn't as polite as your country. Be polite anyway. Maybe people push and shove more than at home. Don't get upset. Don't be less you. If you don't shove people at home don't shove people in the country you're visiting.