How Bad Do You Want It?
04-11-14 and 6-12-14
While I was over in Austria, I continually reflected on two questions. One was "What is going to call me to love the most?" and the other was, "How bad do I want it?" I asked myself these questions because they forced me to challenge myself and take a good look in the mirror.
The first question was something I would try and ask myself anytime I had to make a decision, knowing if I followed through on it, I would be responding to the "it" in my second question as well. What is this "it"?
It is Salvation!
I found myself asking myself how badly do I want to be a saint, how badly do I want to be with Christ one day in his heavenly kingdom. Honestly, it is one of those questions you could spend a lifetime reflecting on. The first thing I would think about and do think about is the lives of the Saints, and how though they all differ, they all had the same end goal - to be in heavenly communion with Christ.
I want that! We all do, right?
Truth is, I think most of us could answer that question and say, yes, I desire to be with our Lord after this life, but how often do we say, yes, I want to be with him, but then live a life that is contrary to that? We gossip, we judge, we have selfish motives, we do not follow the law in some ways, we're prideful, we get involved in grave sin, etc.
So yes, we desire to be with him, but "How Bad do we really want it?"
That's the thing I want to talk a bit about in this blog. I think as a student at Franciscan, it is very easy to think, "I'm on my way to living a very good life," because you go to Mass, you pray with your household, and you aren't doing things that kids do at other schools. Or let's say you don't go to Franciscan and you still say, "I'm on my way to living a good life," because you attend Mass and still keep the commandments.
I first want to say that is truly special! Really, living a faithful life in this world is difficult, often times seemingly next to impossible. If you are at all trying, that is something to be proud of, and you should praise God that you have that!
But...
As honorable as living a good life is, the question must be asked - How bad do you want it? This is truly one of if not the toughest questions to ask oneself because you have to look in the mirror, as I said earlier. We can be living good lives, but why shouldn't we strive to live great lives? If you are reading this, I know I am probably preaching to the choir, talking to people who truly love the Lord, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need to be said. I've written similar blogs before, addressing the Kingdom of Heaven, but this time, I wanted to not just discuss the Kingdom, but pose the question at hand.
I want you, the reader, to do some soul searching. To truly look at what you do on a daily basis, and ask, is this the best I can do? I know it is scary and frightening; I don't pose this question for just the reader, but myself as well. As I begin to look at it, and apply it to my own life, I see how much I still need to do. I will say this though - it may be scary, but I find it helpful and necessary.
Another thing I want to point out is - no matter where you stand now, change can be made! As I look around at the people I look up to the most, and respect the most, I come to realize it has nothing to do with how often they fall, but really, how often they get up! I had a friend recently who was struggling mightily with some graver sins, but it never changed my perception of him and it didn't seem to get him down too much. I am not saying he was okay with the sins, but what I am saying is, he knew the strength of God's mercy, and realized it is much greater than the sin. He never allowed the sin to fully take a hold of him, and the Lord was still able to use him. I was thinking about that and thought, what a true terror for the devil to have to deal with. Even when he gets this man to fall into some of his traps, he just gets up and looks to the Lord even more. The more he sinned, the more he realized he needed Christ to turn himself around. To me, that person is more inspiring than someone who, though they don't struggle mightily in grave sin, doesn't radiate Christ's light.
My friend was constantly berated with temptations from the devil, but he didn't let that define him. St. John Vianney has a baller quote about temptation, that says -
May God bless you abundantly!
"He died for me, so I will live for Him."
The first question was something I would try and ask myself anytime I had to make a decision, knowing if I followed through on it, I would be responding to the "it" in my second question as well. What is this "it"?
It is Salvation!
I found myself asking myself how badly do I want to be a saint, how badly do I want to be with Christ one day in his heavenly kingdom. Honestly, it is one of those questions you could spend a lifetime reflecting on. The first thing I would think about and do think about is the lives of the Saints, and how though they all differ, they all had the same end goal - to be in heavenly communion with Christ.
I want that! We all do, right?
Truth is, I think most of us could answer that question and say, yes, I desire to be with our Lord after this life, but how often do we say, yes, I want to be with him, but then live a life that is contrary to that? We gossip, we judge, we have selfish motives, we do not follow the law in some ways, we're prideful, we get involved in grave sin, etc.
So yes, we desire to be with him, but "How Bad do we really want it?"
That's the thing I want to talk a bit about in this blog. I think as a student at Franciscan, it is very easy to think, "I'm on my way to living a very good life," because you go to Mass, you pray with your household, and you aren't doing things that kids do at other schools. Or let's say you don't go to Franciscan and you still say, "I'm on my way to living a good life," because you attend Mass and still keep the commandments.
I first want to say that is truly special! Really, living a faithful life in this world is difficult, often times seemingly next to impossible. If you are at all trying, that is something to be proud of, and you should praise God that you have that!
But...
As honorable as living a good life is, the question must be asked - How bad do you want it? This is truly one of if not the toughest questions to ask oneself because you have to look in the mirror, as I said earlier. We can be living good lives, but why shouldn't we strive to live great lives? If you are reading this, I know I am probably preaching to the choir, talking to people who truly love the Lord, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need to be said. I've written similar blogs before, addressing the Kingdom of Heaven, but this time, I wanted to not just discuss the Kingdom, but pose the question at hand.
I want you, the reader, to do some soul searching. To truly look at what you do on a daily basis, and ask, is this the best I can do? I know it is scary and frightening; I don't pose this question for just the reader, but myself as well. As I begin to look at it, and apply it to my own life, I see how much I still need to do. I will say this though - it may be scary, but I find it helpful and necessary.
Another thing I want to point out is - no matter where you stand now, change can be made! As I look around at the people I look up to the most, and respect the most, I come to realize it has nothing to do with how often they fall, but really, how often they get up! I had a friend recently who was struggling mightily with some graver sins, but it never changed my perception of him and it didn't seem to get him down too much. I am not saying he was okay with the sins, but what I am saying is, he knew the strength of God's mercy, and realized it is much greater than the sin. He never allowed the sin to fully take a hold of him, and the Lord was still able to use him. I was thinking about that and thought, what a true terror for the devil to have to deal with. Even when he gets this man to fall into some of his traps, he just gets up and looks to the Lord even more. The more he sinned, the more he realized he needed Christ to turn himself around. To me, that person is more inspiring than someone who, though they don't struggle mightily in grave sin, doesn't radiate Christ's light.
My friend was constantly berated with temptations from the devil, but he didn't let that define him. St. John Vianney has a baller quote about temptation, that says -
"The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of
God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those
things which most people eagerly seek."
God would love it if we all avoided sin 24/7 and were perfect, but realistically, that doesn't seem likely. So instead, the best thing we can do is look at our lives, and humble ourselves enough to ask God for his infinite mercy. Through the graces from the Holy Eucharist and Confession, we can come to draw closer to our Lord. It does not stop there though. Just because one prays, does not mean they are on their way to heaven. You can adore Christ all you want, at Church or in front of the tabernacle, but it is worthless unless you also adore him in your life, and in your heart.
This last bit of advice is something I look at myself. I enjoy spending time with the Lord, and the Holy Eucharist is something I seek daily, but I've come to realize that what I do after Mass is what I need to start looking closely at. The desire to love the Lord is there, but I have to live it out in my daily life.
I have to rid myself of distractions; We need to rid ourselves of distractions, of anything that harbors our relationship with God. Ask yourself, what is taking me away from God? What is in between me and sainthood? The answer is not always as easy to see as it is with sins such as sex, drunkenness, masturbation, drug usage, etc. For men, it might be video games; for women, it might be pinterest. Heck, most of us could raise our hands and say Facebook, at times, is a distraction. It could be a culmination of things. I know for me, I realized that as great as spending time with my friends is, I have allowed it to be a distraction before, and it has harbored my relationship with God, it has been the thing that took me away from Him. Spending time with people is a blessing, and can be a way to glorify God and praise his name, but that isn't always the case.
The sooner we begin to examine what comes between us and God, the better off we can be. We can begin to look at it, and try and better ourselves down the road. It can be hard; actually, it will be hard. It will require sacrifices. You might have to change the music you listen to, from that trashy poppy stuff, to christian stuff, or you might have to start limiting how much you drink, because even though you didn't intend to get drunk, it happened three times this past month, and that's just not good. Whatever is holding you back from sainthood, you can fight it, and better yourself. Also, it isn't all about what you give up, what you'll be required to sacrifice. You also will be called to do things - like spend more time with the Lord, with your family, love those who do not love you. You will be called to come out of your comfort zone. Weird isn't? It can be done though. St. Peter lead the early church, and his resume wasn't too strong (Angry fisherman who had a big mouth). You'll be required to fast. To give of yourself.
We are asked to do all of this.
For what? A place in our heavenly Father's kingdom.
I have to rid myself of distractions; We need to rid ourselves of distractions, of anything that harbors our relationship with God. Ask yourself, what is taking me away from God? What is in between me and sainthood? The answer is not always as easy to see as it is with sins such as sex, drunkenness, masturbation, drug usage, etc. For men, it might be video games; for women, it might be pinterest. Heck, most of us could raise our hands and say Facebook, at times, is a distraction. It could be a culmination of things. I know for me, I realized that as great as spending time with my friends is, I have allowed it to be a distraction before, and it has harbored my relationship with God, it has been the thing that took me away from Him. Spending time with people is a blessing, and can be a way to glorify God and praise his name, but that isn't always the case.
The sooner we begin to examine what comes between us and God, the better off we can be. We can begin to look at it, and try and better ourselves down the road. It can be hard; actually, it will be hard. It will require sacrifices. You might have to change the music you listen to, from that trashy poppy stuff, to christian stuff, or you might have to start limiting how much you drink, because even though you didn't intend to get drunk, it happened three times this past month, and that's just not good. Whatever is holding you back from sainthood, you can fight it, and better yourself. Also, it isn't all about what you give up, what you'll be required to sacrifice. You also will be called to do things - like spend more time with the Lord, with your family, love those who do not love you. You will be called to come out of your comfort zone. Weird isn't? It can be done though. St. Peter lead the early church, and his resume wasn't too strong (Angry fisherman who had a big mouth). You'll be required to fast. To give of yourself.
We are asked to do all of this.
For what? A place in our heavenly Father's kingdom.
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Matthew 16:25
May God bless you abundantly!
"He died for me, so I will live for Him."
