Love, Suffering, and Joy

"Love is the source of all the joy in life and all the suffering in life. No love means no suffering and no joy. The suffering that comes from love is the price we pay for the gift of loving." Today I heard this song as well as this quote. It reminded me that as Catholics and simply as human beings- we are called to love. It is the reason we have joy, and the reason we have pain. We can't have one without the other. But it's so much better to love- even when it hurts- because that's when we're doing what we were made to do. That's when we are who were meant to be.

This really has nothing to do with being Catholic, except its true, good, and beautiful. (I think that works....)

10,000 Reasons

I'm so in love with this version of Matt Redman's song. This is beautiful.

And then I realized I've seen this group in concert And Audrey Assad, my favorite singer of all time, is on here too.

Opportunity

Opportunity... always be on the lookout for it. I'm slowly learning to stop whining and complaining about where I am in my life. One way to do that is look for opportunity. There's a reason why you are where you are, at this specific time, with your unique set of qualities and gifts. Sometimes it takes a little observing and thinking to figure out what the opportunity is, and sometimes that opportunity is hitting you over the head. It could be to learn something, to make some memories, to help someone out, to get better at your job, to get a new perspective on life, or just to be present to the people around you. You never know what opportunity will show up- especially when you least expect it. 

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~Winston Churchill

Courage in the Small Things

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." ~1 John 4:18

I've been thinking a lot this week about fear. I honestly think fear governs more of our decisions that we realize. Fear is what holds us back from living a full life. When we are free of fear, we have more freedom to love. 

For most of us most of the time- courage is found in the small things. Those millions of everyday decisions are what truly build our character. In one way, that makes it easier. Instead of facing the millions of goals and dreams I have for myself, it's easier to ask myself, "What is the brave thing to do right now?" It might be tackling a project I've been avoiding, talking to someone new, trying a new strategy at work, doing a hard workout, or even getting out of bed in the morning. Begin with the small things, and take courage. Or if you want to say it John Paul II style: "Coraggio!"

‎"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." ~Dale Carnegie