The Art of Avoiding Cynicism

I have noticed lately that I sometime can be quite cynical. Every once in awhile I slide into a rut & I start to view the world around me in a 'glass half empty' sort of way. That is certainly not the type of person I desire to be, or who I aim to be, but occasionally I fall victim.

I am sure (or I hope) that I am not the only one who gets like this. So, the real question is, how do we avoid it?

1. Be aware of who you spend your time with. I have just finished school and begun working in a Long Term Care Facility. A lot of the people I work with have been doing this job for a long time and become quite cynical about it. For example, I was expressing to a fellow employee my excitement of getting to wear patterned scrubs (we were only allowed to wear solid colours while we were in school) and she simply replied, "Don't kid yourself, the novelty will soon wear off." Surrounding ourselves with people who view the world negatively effects us, no matter how joyful we pride ourselves on being. It is important to be aware of who we spend our time with. 

2. Guard what you let into your home (or car, office, etc.). I make it a point to limit the amount of news I listen to. I realize that it is important to be aware of current events and I make myself aware of what I feel I need to know and I pray about the rest. If I allow myself to listen and watch the new regularly I become quite pessimistic about the state of the world; I become discouraged and feel a sense of hopelessness. If I feel I need to keep up on the news than I am very careful to balance the information I am receiving through secular worldwide media with news directly related to my faith and stories of hope and love. These stories are out there but we often have to seek them; they are not as easily available. Guarding what media you have on your television and radio is important.

3. Be discerning in your entertainment. I am directly effected by the books I read and the shows I watch. Next time you read a book or watch a show pay attention, real attention, to how the book or show makes you feel. It's easy to pretend it is an escape from the world and to say it's how you unwind, but often times there is a direct relation to how we act and feel and what we fill our entertainment time with. 

4. Don't be lazy. There is a difference between relaxing and being lazy. Relaxing is important to maintaining your physical and mental health; being lazy will destroy it. The more time you spend lying around, lacking motivation and not being active the more down you will feel. Get up, make a plan and do something. 

5. Pray. Satan wants us to fall to the temptation of being pessimistic. There is nothing that will take us further from God and closer to his waiting grasp. Do not underestimate the power of prayer.

God bless,

Emily xo

St. Valentine, Pray for Us!

It's Saint Valentine's Day today. On my way to class early this morning I was reflecting on all the love I have received in the last 22 years. My parents have a beautiful marriage, and my siblings and I are products of their love. God has loved me into being, He has loved me through the rough homeschooling years when I was nothing but a terror for my poor mother, He has loved me when I was broken and alone and was by my side as I navigated the dreadful high school hallways, He loved me as I left home for the first time, He loved me through and despite every mistake, and He made me new again.

Between those 2 examples alone I have had more than enough fruitful and wholesome examples of love to look up to. I am thankful for that. Five years ago I fell in love for the first time. He too has loved me through many hard time, and has been with me as I grew into adulthood. He has seen me at my very best and he has seen me at my very worst, and still he loves me.

Love really is a gift. And, I realized this morning that I am so incredibly blessed by the love I receive from my parents, from God, from Troy, from my sisters and brothers and through my friends. And, I think I was, unknowingly, taking for granted that love. Until this morning.

I thought about the girls in my class (there is something like 38 students, and only 2 men...) on my way to the school this morning. Many have boyfriends, or friends with benefits... many have children and they are all preparing for careers that will require giving a whole lot of love.

But there is something else I have noticed. Many of them are barely 30, and have at least one child (which is beautiful), but of those who have children I would say probably only 2 of them are married. That is sad, but what saddens me even more is that most have them have been married. They are 30 years old (or younger), have a family and divorce papers. It's hard to keep an optimistic view of marriage in our world when this is becoming the norm.

So, what went wrong? It's hard to say, I guess. But, I have discovered that maybe it isn't so hard to pinpoint after all... love has become disposable. We are lending a hand in this divorce epidemic by presenting the view to the world that love isn't something that needs time or work. We cannot sugar-coat relationships or provide advice that consists of the sentence, "Maybe you have just fallen out of love with him." We need to be real, and honest. Love is a choice that is made in every moment of every day. And, love is impossible without God. Yes, impossible. I am not saying it's harder without God, or different without God. It is truly impossible without God IS love...without Him love cannot exist in our world. Not only is God the maker, creator and giver or love, but He is also the perfect example of love. He never gives up on us...and we are as imperfect as imperfect can get. We need to seek after His wisdom and example and enter every relationship in life with the understanding that romance is not present every moment of life, and we may have a crappy day or our friend, spouse, parent or sibling may treat us terribly sometimes (guarantee you treat them like crap sometimes too!) or you just may not feel in love. But love is more than a feeling...it's a choice and the result of it is more beautiful and miraculous than you could ever imagine.

Make sure people in your life know you love them today... even if you don't feel like it.

St. Valentine, please pray for us.

Emily xo

Pray More

I have this printed off and posted by my desk in my room. It is getting me through school, as I prepare for the end of my first semester, and for my first clinical placement!

I hope it can help you also.

Emily xo

Prayer & Fasting

Dear Pope Francis has proclaimed today a day of fasting & prayer for Peace-specifically for peace in Syria. 

Please, join in this prayer today!

Emily xo

Yes. No. Not Now.

A few weeks ago at Mass our Priest today a story during his homily that went like this,

Years ago he was teaching a First Communion class, and the room was filled with Grade 2 students. They were discussing prayer at this particular class, and one little boy near the front spoke up and said,

"Father, I don't pray."

When Father asked him why he didn't pray the little boy adamantly declared that God didn't answer prayers. So, Father asked him why he thought God didn't hear and answer prayers. The little boy responded,

"Well, I was praying for a long time that I would get a new bicycle for my birthday. My birthday was months ago, and I never got a bicycle." 

Apparently, a young girl near the back of the class disagreed with this boy's announcement. She spoke up, saying, 

"Johnny, God does answer prayers. His answer to your prayer was 'NO'."

This little story received a few chuckles from the parishioners. And, rightfully so. But, I think this young girl was probably way more wise then any of us sitting on the wooden pews that warm July morning. See, she understood that sometimes God says no. And, that is something most of us spend our lifetime struggling with. Or, at least I do.


God answers prayers in three ways:

Yes

His 'yes' means that what we desired and what he knew was best for us were actually in line. 

He said 'yes' because what we wanted was good, wholesome and worthy of our time.

His 'yes' was not an affirmation that we always know what is best, but it is an affirmation that He is a loving God who desires us to ask for what we need, and to accept whatever answer He gives us.

No

This is a humble reminder that we are not God. God is God, and He knows what is best for us.

His 'no' wasn't Him exercising is power to make us angry. It was Him reminding us that He has a great, grand plan in which He only gives us the things we ask for that will make us better.

His 'no' reminds us to be humbled.

Not now

Sometimes we misconstrue God's 'not now' for a 'no'. We think He is not giving us the desires of our heart, but really He is teaching us patience, and He is asking us to just hold on, for a better time is coming.

He will give us what we desire when the time is right, and just because we think that time is right now doesn't mean it is.

Remember, God sees the larger picture.

So, I hope you always know God answers your prayers the very best way, even if you don't see it that way right now. It is hard. I will be the first to admit that. But, it is something we will need to work on for our whole lives. 

I am praying for you, please also pray for me.

Emily xo 

The Power of a Prayer

A few years ago I remember I was going through a really trying time in my life. There wasn't anything specifically wrong, but I just felt frustrated in myself and in my relationship with God. And, I was just so confused.

I have always believed that God has a plan for each of us, and that that plan is older then time. God knows what he created us for. I grew up learning this from my parent's, at school and at Church and as I got older I believed it to be true from the experiences I had in my life. But, at this time in my life I felt very unsure of God's plan in my life, and very unsettled about where I was and what I was doing. I felt that maybe He had forgotten about me, and when I ran to Him in prayer that maybe He didn't hear me.

One night I got into a fight with my father. I have no idea what it was about, or how it began, but I know it was the angriest I had ever been at someone. I felt hurt and unloved by my earthly father, and fed up that me heavenly Father didn't seem to take notice of my sorrow. That night I somehow had the peace of mind to leave our home and go to the Church (my family had a key, so I was able to get in). When I reached the Church I remember going in, while wiping streams of tears from my cheeks, and literally collapsing in front of the Tabernacle and crying out to Jesus. I begged Him for answers and for direction, and for peace in my heart. I cried and cried, and eventually I felt like He was holding me, just for a moment, in His arms.

I felt comforted.

Things didn't take a miraculous turn after that, and I didn't suddenly know where I was supposed to be headed in life. But, for one moment I felt that I was not alone. In that desperate prayer God reminded me that He had never forsaken me. I had simply forgotten how to see Him. He took me in His arms that night, rested my head against His heart and showed me how to see Him again.

Today I want to remind you of the power of a prayer. No matter where you have been, where you are going or how lost you have gotten, He is there. Always and without fail, He is holding you. Take a deep breathe and ask God to help you and carry you and show you how to see Him again. He will answer you, in His time, but the answer will be there. He promises us that.

I am praying for you,

Emily xo