Some Good

Small, battered, humble-breasted.
Prideful, loyal and selfish.
By all accounts I am a twisted face,
Contorted by desire, smoothed by grace.

Loved, neglected, ever-burdened
Oh shadows that surround me!
By all accounts I am a twisted face,
Contorted by desire, smoothed by grace.

Ugly, desperate, hopeful,
Shivering as darkness pricks,
Who will take me in?
Misshapen, but good!
There is some good!
I am ashamed.

By all accounts I am a twisted face,
Contorted by desire, smoothed by grace.

24

I recently turned twenty-four and seeing as I haven’t posted anything and haven’t had the time to form long coherent thoughts, I thought I’d jot down 24 short thoughts. They’re all random, ranging from advice, revelations, thanksgiving, etc. Hopefully, I arranged them in an order that is easy to follow.

1) God’s will is more beautiful and intricate than I can imagine.

There once was a little boy who was sitting at the foot of his mother as she embroidered something on her lap. He looked at the design from were he sat, and seeing only the back grimaced at the knots and haphazard stitches. When she was done she turned it around. Elegant flowers he had never seen before graced the cloth’s surface. Her method had seemed strange, even ugly at times and yet there it was… Beauty was created by her hands.

2) Worry should be followed immediately by prayer… especially if you have an over active imagination.

Matthew 6:27- 34

"Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

3) “God alone satisfies” (CCC 1718)

We all have this deep longing to be happy. Try giving God your whole heart. Not a piece you can spare and not just sometimes. See what happens.

4) God is an “and-and” sort of person. He wants us to love him and others and ourselves. He want us to better ourselves and take care of ourselves and amuse ourselves.

“There are only three good reasons why anyone should ever do anything: because it is moral, practical, or delightful… Of the three goods, moral goods clearly take precedence: it is not justifiable to sacrifice a moral duty for efficiency or pleasure” (Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity pg. 182-183)

5) Disney movies taught me to love wonder and innocence. They taught me that a good story can be told without gore and sensationalized sex. A few taught me to dress a little inappropriately… that’d be my only real complaint, the only downside to my Disney education. To this day I have a desire to walk around with a bare midriff like Jasmine, for no other reason than I like Jasmine.

6) You have no control over other people’s emotions or actions. Let those around you grow freely. If they can grow with you praise God. If not pray for strength and remember that prayer is a way to be present as your loved ones continue their path.

7) Adore God, love people and use things.

8) “It [Prudence] is not to be confused with timidity or fear” (CCC 1806)

I’m praying for courage to come along side my natural desire to want to be humble, so that I won’t be fearful but prudent.

9) I cannot possibly tell you how much you’re worth… actually I can. God loves you so much that he died for you. Don’t let any man or woman tell you that you deserve anything less than a loving relationship marked by the words, “ 'Till death do us part.” Do not give your body away for less.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body” 1 Cor 6:19-20

(also kudos to the witness of Dr. Francis Schaeffer)

10) Babies are so much fun! I’m glad because I’ve been told they’re also a lot of work.

11) Start taking care of your body ASAP. In fact start right now. Go take a walk around the block. You only get one.

12) If you want to make friends start saying hi to some people. I’m as shy as they come and I can tell you I’d never take back any awkward handshakes. The kindred spirits you meet make up for that in gold.

13) The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis is a fantastic read. Whether you are familiar with the term “Spiritual Warfare” or not it is a vivid picture of the constant battles within our souls.

“Remember where you are: on a battlefield, not in an easy chair. If you are a Christian, you are a spiritual warrior” (Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity)

14) Envy is the only sin that never gives anyone any pleasure at all (Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity)

… but somehow I fall into that one pretty easy. I’m obviously not a very smart when I choose to sin.

15) Everything tastes better with butter.

16) True Perfection is reflecting the face of Christ.

17) Don’t ever think you can’t start over. Don’t ever think you’ve done too many bad things to be loved. You are loved. God has loved you since the day your life began and he loves you now. God does not love because you are free of sin but because he hopes to help you be free of sin.

18) Saints come in all shapes and sizes. The body of Christ is made up of many people and we all have a part to play. Each part is important and beautiful and unique. You are not meant to have every talent because you need to be reminded to look beside you and ask your brother or sister for help, so that you can realize that you are a part of a body, not one person fighting a battle. In our “I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" society we often forget that it is strength to ask for the help of others.

19) A little discomfort will keep you from getting too soft and lazy.

20) Societies have accepted slavery, infanticide and genocide as moral actions. Take a step back and have the courage to question your own society, especially what’s cool.

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." (G. K. Chesterton)

21) It’s a poor argument to say that Christianity is bad because someone failed to live up to Christian teaching. If you’re going to say Christianity is bad it should be because you think it’s teaching is bad not because it’s members are bad. (But by the way we are fully aware that we're bad... hence the need for someone to save us and forgive us... constantly)

(kudos to Marc Barnes @ BadCatholic )

22) You don’t believe in God? Try living as if he did and see what happens. What do you have too lost if it all means nothing in the end? You can begin by saying small prayers. Tell God your fears, hopes and worries, thank him for good things and acknowledge the beautiful things you see.

23) The greatest blessings I have received are my family and friends. They look at my drawings and follow my blogs and tell me when I’m being an idiot.

24) My mother got married when she was twenty-four and I have always thought of that age as the moment I would cross the threshold into adulthood… I hope to be a good grown-up...

... yeah...

Fin.