Don't Get Discouraged!

Sometimes life seems dark.  Then you realize that you have the very best sister in the world and that the things of the moment really are just of the moment.

Sometimes you wonder if your ridiculously gifted daughter will ever show the initiative for school that she did when she was little.  Then you find her lugging the laptop to her brothers' TKD class so that she can continue working on her first computer programming class because it just too fun to stop.

Sometimes you worry because unusual things are happening in your Church and you don't like unusual things.  Then you remember that your church is 2,000 years old and it can take it.

Always remember that a bad week (and even a bad month and, yes, even a bad year) is temporary.  The important things in life are the eternal things.  That doesn't mean that what you are going through doesn't hurt - that it doesn't matter! It does hurt.  It does matter.  Just try to remember that it will pass.  It will pass.  For some people, it may not pass in this world.  For those who love and serve Christ, though, it will pass, and if a day of suffering seems to last forever here, just imagine a day of participating in the Beatific Vision!

My week sucked.  There are amazing and inspirational writers out there who can write gorgeous blog posts about suffering and the redemptive power of God's love.  I'm here to be real about the fact that you don't always feel it.  Religion isn't about feelings.  It's about a relationship with God.  To me, it's like marriage.  Marriage isn't about feelings.  It's about a relationship that you build over time.  Sometimes it *feels* great and sometimes it *feels* really sucky.  If we relied solely on our feelings, I'm betting there would be even more divorces.  We rely on a relationship build on faith, hope, and love.  Sometimes I think God is really onto something with His whole marriage/church analogy.

In any case, like I tell my kids.  Tomorrow (next week, next month, next year) will be better.  Never forget that and never lose hope.  Our Blessed Mother promised that her Immaculate Heart would triumph and we know ...the rest of the story (Paul Harvey fans? You with me?).  Here's a hint for my atheist and agnostic friends: God wins.  What a tremendous comfort for those of us who like to read the last page of a book first.  You can endure all of the junk in the middle as long as you know that the good guys come out ahead in the end.