Always Good Never Perfect

Have you ever noticed that no matter how good you are, there's still always someone out there uttering the words "You're still not perfect though!" behind your back/in your ear/to your face?

I have.

For a long time I battled with not feeling as good as I could be, or -- as the new popular phrase goes -- I hadn't been feeling like "my best self" #2018. 

So now that I am in a place where I am not only financially stable and reaching my goals successfully, but am also comfortable in my own skin and with who I am as a person, I take small niggles and comments at what I still am not "good" at personally. 

You see, I believe in a little thing called *personal growth* which means that I believe that people can change/can grow/can mature/can become wiser - all through experience. 

I was never a perfect person, but I was never a bad one either. I just grew out of old habits which were pulling me down and impeding on my potential. I worked hard, and I made something of myself that I am proud of. 

That doesn't mean I am done working hard, or trying my best or that I have reached the maximum of my potential. 

It means that I have clarity, that I have confidence and that I am connected to myself and grounded in my life. 

It means that my goals are my own and my actions are my responsibility. 

So when I am caught in a situation where someone is comfortable enough in their own imperfect life to tell me that my life is imperfect - I take it with a big spoon full of salt. (not just a grain) 

Be it that I don't necessarily look at other people and notice their imperfections right away/ or that I have been through enough in my life (even the self inflicted things) to know that I can't judge anyone else on their imperfections any more than I would like to be judged on mine, I just don't like it.

But, here's why I am wrong. 

I am good, but I am not perfect. This is true. 

So instead of hating on that person, or taking offense to their pickiness/judgement/comments on how imperfect I am - I should thank them. 

See, you should never stop trying to be better than your "good", you should always work towards enhancements. That's the real personal growth. 

It's not taking offence to a person who tells you you're not enough, it's about knowing that you are enough, but your life can always do with some minor improvements. Be it personal, physical, mental or spiritual - you can always be a step or two closer to who you were always meant to be.

It doesn't mean you aren't good, or you aren't better than you were before - it means you're never going to stop being good/getting better - with time, with age and with wisdom!

I am always going to be good, and my good is always going to get better - but I am never going to be perfect. 

THE AGE OF THE IDENTITY CRISIS

Dear readers, I have been writing, but nothing I have written strikes me as blog-worthy. I hope to increase the amount I post but for the meantime this is an adaptation of something I had written down and forgotten about, then – thanks to a friend – remembered suddenly. I hope if you’re reading this, that my message lifts you.
Thanks for reading guys, it’s deeply appreciated.
– Julie

I’ve recently come to a conclusion that in 2000 or so years from now in the year 4015 AD, that the name of our Era will be The Age of the Identity Crisis. Seeing as everybody around us when questioned about their aspirations, goals and dreams or even their current situation you can safely assume that (like you are) they are also taking time to decide, or just figure out who it is they want to be, and who it is they’re meant to be.

It's a struggle. What with every magazine, TV show, movie and let's not forget social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram practically outlining and reinforcing the expectations of society.

But where do you draw the line? When is enough, enough? When is it too much?

We all are plagued with the overwhelming need for acceptance, from everyone. Even people who we don't necessarily like. It's become an epidemic. Everyone has to like you, and you'll do everything and anything to ensure that they do, and the media knows this. Society knows this.

The sad and all too inconvenient truth is that we have become worse than drones. Why worse? Because a drone is programmed to carry out specific orders and designed specifically for their task, whereas we humans have a conscience, and the ability to rationalize. We get to develop our own opinions and have our own ideas. So why don't we? It's simple. Conformity to society provides individuals with a false feeling of 'belonging' which then leads to the all too easy remedy of their lost identity.

This is a problem.

Why? Because this new found identity and sense of belonging is nothing but short lived. Soon enough the person you have become, rather, the person whom society formed becomes your worst enemy. You slowly start to work against yourself, something doesn't quite click. You read more magazines, you buy more make up, you drink more at parties, you chase after this new identity of yours and then you realize, it's all fake. The second you stop conforming, you cease to belong and who you are while you aren't conforming isn't accepted. Then you're left with nothing but a few fake friends, a bigger identity crisis than you began with and to top it off, a lack of self-worth.

Obviously, I have been through somewhat of the same experience, being a young adult myself. Here's what I now understand that I wish I understood back then.

'Who you are, is a reflection of what other's see in you.'

That's the golden rule. Who you are is a collection of what other people see in you, for instance, my family see me as 'daughter' 'sister' 'niece' 'granddaughter' 'cousin' something as simple as my place in my family, already creates the aura of belonging. Now, if we expand past the general titles and labels, you will notice that who we are actually differs around all kinds of people. At work I am sophisticated and confident and outgoing. I am respected and I am able to make decisions and work efficiently. But with my friends, I'm less likely to call the shots, and I can be a little more indecisive. I can be selfless in the eyes of some, and selfish in the eyes of others. I can be nice to some people and other people will think I'm a total bitch. Why is all of this important? It's simple. Who you are cannot be determined by anyone else. Why? Because even though 'Who you are is a reflection of what other's see in you" YOU are the person who shows them only what you want them to see.

So here's my tip. Go home, on your PC, in your journals or anywhere that you can go back and read it. Write down who you are, and read it aloud, and if you don't know who you are, or you’re just not happy with your answer keep looking. It’s okay not to know who you are, the important thing is that you never stop learning about yourself, so go ahead, learn, search and during your conquest remember, who you are, no matter what, is unique and extraordinary, you don’t need to fit in perfectly with other people, you just need to fit into your own skin.

Paris and The Paris of the Middle East

I’m not usually considered as a sensitive person, maybe that’s because not many things are all that important to me. I’m not passionate about many things, but I am passionate about the following:

-          My faith

-          My family and friends

-          My country

Today’s post is in relation to the three. I woke up to some bad news yesterday morning. Overnight a pair of suicide bombings struck southern Beirut, Lebanon. It or I should say “they” killed 40 people and left at least another 200 others wounded. Then the following day I learned even more tragic news about another terrorist attack in Paris, France. Killing at least 153 people and leaving many more injured.

It’s safe to say more than anything, I am enraged.

I’m not scared.

I’m not worried.

I am sorry.

I’m sorry that such beautiful countries with the most amazing culture can’t seem to catch a break.

I’m sorry Lebanon has to suffer because the pathetic countries surrounding it don’t know how to play nice.

I’m sorry that people had to die as a result of a pathetic group of people’s, (suspected to be members of ISIS) beliefs in extremist ideals of a religion that supposedly screams “peace!”

I’m sorry for the families of these people, I’m sorry for the wounded and more than anything I’m sorry to the people who aren’t fazed by such a disgusting act of terrorism, because it’s just “typical Arab politics”

I am sorry for Paris, I pray for Paris.

But Lebanon, I am more than sorry for you. I’m heartbroken for you.

Lebanon and the Lebanese people don’t deserve to be associated with what I can only describe as the scum that the majority of the Middle East has become. We are not a dirty people, we are a people of culture, of traditions, of passions, of love and of peace.

I am sorry for Lebanon because their “government” never gave them a chance.

I am sorry for Lebanon because while France has declared state of emergency, Lebanon has yet to do a single thing about the atrocity.

I am sorry for Lebanon because the media over-looks them, undermines its suffering and has no compassion for their suffering.

I am sorry for Lebanon because this is NOT Lebanon. This is not what our country is about.

We are the country of the greatest

Saints, home of the Cedar trees (referred to in the bible multiple times) the manufacturers of the alphabet, and we are the country most associated with the phoenix -- and for good reason. With over a total of ten wars, multiple corrupt governments and needless attacks on our great city coming from all other surrounding countries, Lebanon and the Lebanese have fallen and come back up, time and time again. We have rebuilt, we have risen again, we have never given up and we have faced a hell that was forced onto us and you know what? After all the injustices, all the drama and all the reasons to give up and back down, Lebanon has never and WILL NEVER back down. Why? Because we are a people of faith, of friendship and of family. We are a people of compassion and for as long as the greatest Saints who have ever graced this land are standing with us, it doesn’t matter what evil stands against us. God will always prevail and that belief has been embedded deep into the core of our hearts and we live never in fear, sure of this one thing. God will prevail, Lebanon will never die.

For Charlie.

When you finish school, you are in no means prepared for what actually takes place in the real world. You only know that the faces you once saw every day of thirteen years, will no longer be a frequent thing in your life. You know that you’re going to move on to bigger things and you know that nothing will stay the same.

What you don’t actually realize is a reality is that some of the people you went to school with, will be married, or have children – you know this is all a possibility but you imagine it won’t be for some time.

You don’t expect time to move so quickly, or that you won’t actually remember the last time you saw certain people. Sometimes you even forget your class mates until their name comes up in conversation, or you see them on Facebook.

But for all of you, I sincerely hope you never have to hear news of an ex-class mate’s death. When I left school I anticipated many things, but I never anticipated any of my classmates dying. I never expected to be hearing that kind of news about someone my age. None of us did.

I guess that is testimony to the fact that we actually know very little about the next hour of our lives.

You never expect something so wrong to happen to someone so young and you don’t expect to be so taken aback by it. You don't expect it to faze you.

The fact of the matter is that most of us spent our entire childhood and most of our adolescence living with the people we went to school with. By living I mean that you spent at least seven hours of most days/weeks/months of a year with these people. You grew up with them, and even if you don’t keep in contact with them or frequently see each other, you still know things about these people. You know some of their embarrassing stories, what kind of person they were, who they were friends with, what kind of music they listened to and thanks to social media, you can basically keep up without catching up with them.

We may have left school years ago, we may all have different lives to the ones we thought we would have, but deep down in a place we don’t even realize exists we are all still those little kids, running around the play-ground, racing to our classrooms, gossiping about each other, our teachers and dreading those hideous blue blazers. We’re still those kids who keep their timetables in their diaries, hate their uniforms, and can’t wait for recess and lunch just to have a chance to sit down and chill with our favorite friends. We’re all still there, we all still have a piece of each other with us.

We re-visit that place constantly when we see or hear news about one another, we think about it in the back of our minds, we try to picture that persons face, remember the last time we spoke to them, we jog through all the times we encountered them and then we think “how naïve were we back then, that we didn’t ever expect things to change so dramatically” – and that’s the thing about growing up, you realize more and more every day, that each day in its own way is a blessing. That there are no guarantees. We never expect that one day, when we look back on those times, that one of us won’t be existing in the same world that we exist in, that they’ll no longer be with us. That all we actually have is that memory, of when we were young, when things were simple. When you didn’t have to remember people because they were always there. You never have to face the reality that for everyone, there’s an “end”.

Today our entire grade lost a class mate, some of us were still close to him, some of us weren’t, but all of us will look back on those days, when we were still young, still naïve, still together and we won’t forget you. We will always remember you, always pray for you and always revisit our memories with you. God bless you and Rest in Peace.

Matthew 25:21

" His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ "

The Simple Life

Life Style Choices. - Simplicity Is Key.

Ever looked in the mirror and realized you've put on a bit of weight, and then noticed your jeans are just a bit too tight and your gut is sticking out a little more than usual OR Woken up on a Saturday and been tired and unenthusiastic about life? Yeah me too.
Unfortunately for me, I lack in a minor (major) essential attribute required for success in life; Discipline (that in turn means patience). I have this strange way of dreaming BIG and forgetting the baby steps to the bigger picture, so I get really really addicted to something, but don't often see it through. So I did a bit of research on how to get healthier, progressively. Here's my conclusion.

If you're anything like me, you wake up in the middle of the night and opt for that quick late night snack and go back to bed, you set your alarm for 6am but find an excuse to stay cozy in bed instead of go for that early-morning run and you always, always make excuses when it comes to unhealthy luxuries- i.e 'This is the last time' OR 'Only one bite'.
Here are some simple and easy to follow guidelines on how to keep both mind and body happy, and HEALTHY!

FIRST
Forget your crash diets, and fat burning pills, your soup diets and your personal trainer. This isn't the biggest loser, no one will force your dieting and working out on you. It is not an instant makeover #InstaSkinny #NoSuchThing

SECOND
Get moving. No walking from your bedroom to the kitchen and back doesn't count, lazy. All it really takes is 20 minutes a day of getting your heart pumping... Go for a run/a bike ride/ do a boxing session, pick anything! Cardio is good for the heart and good for the mind. Stress does not help weight loss!

THIRD
Eating healthier. No, don't go cutting out all your favorite chocolate's and candy. Depriving yourself will not teach you anything about discipline, once you're off your diet, you will jump back on the fast food train and all your efforts won't be worth it. Portion control is key. The easiest way of watching what you eat is by increasing your intake of whole grain, fiber, fruit, veg and protein. By no means should you cut out all the things you love to eat, you should just condition your mind into thinking them of them as more of a treat than a go-to snack. Also, try your best not to eat fast food. It's full of trans fats which usually leads to high cholesterol and diabetes.

FOURTH
No more smoking and/or alcohol. Again, this doesn't mean you can't ever have the occasional beer with friends, but all either do is impair your judgement and condition you to think that you NEED an un-natural substance, to aid you in day to day life. They serve no good purpose, if you can, cut it out!

FIFTH
Sleep! A friend of mine not too long ago, stressed to me the importance of sleeping a minimum of 7 hours and a maximum of 9 hours every night. This isn't only good for your brain, it's good for your body too. Resting helps your muscles relax and repair after a long day. NO this does not mean you can oversleep and become a sloth, this means you sleep the appropriate hours and get back up healthier and in a much better mood. Sleeping in makes you more tired than sleeping less. Remember that.

LASTLY
Stress? What stress? No secret's here, there is stress in everything you do, typing this means I stress my mind and my fingers into taking action, but I can't stress to you enough - see what I did there?- the importance of de-stressing. The easiest way to de-stress is to talk about, and let go of your problems. But beware, the relationships around you shouldn't be a constant cause of stress for you, a friend who puts you down, or makes you feel bad, isn't a friend, they're a foe. Be wise in your decision making and make sure you always keep good, strong and positive people around you at all times.
To be honest, the only full proof form of stress relief I have ever participated in, was prayer and meditation. I think a lot of people have a big problem with accepting that there is a God who is in control of our lives, because we are so caught up in taking control ourselves. I find it rather comforting that the big guy in the sky is looking out for me, plus, I always know I''m not alone!

So to simplify,
FOOD = GOOD FASTFOOD = BAD

EXERCISE = GOOD SMOKING = BAD

SLEEP = GOOD DRAMA =BAD

I hope my guide lines helped, they sure as hell were a great stepping stone for me!

The Forgiven And The Forgiving

Sin. It tears us away from God. What many people don't realize is that God is not the one who moves away from us. We are the ones -- who by committing sin -- separate ourselves from Him. In failing to realize this, we also do not realize, that the only thing keeping us from going back to God, is our guilt - our pride. But the reality of all of this, is that God is always waiting, always wanting to accept us back into His arms.

Does this not then indicate how incomprehensible God's love is to us as mere humans? That He does not give us pre-mature judgement, but rather accepts us, gives us a chance to return to Him, and then upon our return welcomes us back into His loving embrace? Does this not lead us to conclude that OUR God is a God of love and forgiveness.
Does Christ not speak of the good shepherd who after losing one of his one hundred sheep, return in search of the one he has lost, until he finds it?  The truth is there is no love greater than His love. No mercy, greater than His.

How is it then -- While all of us feel grateful for the mercy and forgiveness that we readily receive from our Creator -- that we ourselves struggle greatly in offering forgiveness to those who have offended us?
It is that we are not like God. We are not overflowing with Mercy and Graces. Some of us go a lifetime harboring hatred for those that have mistreated them.

Despite our humanity, God commands us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us for all our wrong doings. He even goes as far as saying that if we cannot forgive one another, He will deny us forgiveness of our trespasses. God will not fully free us from our inequities unless we too free others of theirs. Ergo, forgiveness is a gift and when we give this gift to others, we also give this gift to ourselves.

Nevertheless forgiveness does not come easy to us. Why? Because it is part of our human nature to protect ourselves. It is a primitive survival reflex to remember what hurt us and never return to it, or to try not to allow ourselves to be hurt by it again.

It is only by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we are able to go against our human instincts and really forgive and let go of all the pain and fear that we feel.
Now, let's say for a minute that you are like me, and that forgiving someone -- despite wanting to -- does not come as easily to you. I have found a way that works for me. That way is to logically forgive a person, on the grounds that I too am human and that I often make mistakes, am imperfect and despite that do not feel a dire need to protect myself from myself.

Why?
Because despite my imperfections, and what I dislike about myself. Despite the stupid things I do and the hatred I might harbor for the actions that I commit against myself, another and God, one thing does not change; Although I don't always like myself; I always love myself.

You see; God doesn't necessarily ask us to like one another, or to like the actions we commit, or the things we say, but He does require us to love one another. It is not enough to tolerate each other, or to turn the other cheek. We must bring ourselves to realize that we love ourselves despite our imperfections, just like God loves us despite our imperfections.

'Everybody thinks forgiveness, is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive' C.S Lewis.

So next time you are wronged by someone, remember a time when you wronged someone else, and put yourself in that person's shoes. God see's everything and he knows what is in each of our hearts, He does own them after all.

An Inconvenient Truth

Something that got my attention recently, is how easy it is for girls to compromise themselves, and their dignity. This isn't meant to come off as judgmental, so please don't take it that way ladies, but really, truly I've started to notice even amongst adult women, females are really compromising everything about themselves. They become disposable objects to men who will have a good time with them, and look for a commitment to someone else, and then these girls make excuses for them like "Oh but his great grandmother passed away three months ago."
Common ladies! Be better than that. You deserve better than that!
I know what I'm about to say may come off as a little bit controversial, but I'm going to say it anyway- Men (or really any human being) will only treat you the way you allow yourself to be treated. It's all about you, and if you let them get away with something once, they will inevitably make an attempt at getting away with it again OR they will take it a step further.
Now, this isn't a rant about girls who degrade themselves, and how over it I am, and how much it angers me - no. This is my message to girls who feel like they may be falling into this kind of lifestyle, or for girls who have a friend who may be, and want to know how to help them. 

I was only young when I heard this at a retreat when I was still in school. I can't remember the speaker's name, but he was absolutely brilliant, here's what he taught me.

Females ask themselves THREE main questions.

1. Am I beautiful?
2. Will anyone ever love me?
3. Will I always be alone?

Which leads me to my point. In asking yourself these questions what you're ultimately doing is looking for the answer. When looking for this answer it's important to remember a few essential things.

✓ Yes, you are beautiful
✓ Yes, someone will love you (people already love you)
✓ No, you are not alone (Face it you pessimists you can't be born without the contribution of two people)

Now I'm not kidding myself by believing that just because I said so, you will all read this and believe it. But here's the catch- It doesn't matter what I think, it matters what YOU think of yourself.

See this is how you land yourself onto the track of compromising yourself or your beliefs or your standards in a relationship girls. You ask yourself these questions, but you're so desperate to confirm that you will find someone who answers and reassures you of the answers to all these questions that you start to accept anything that comes your way, or worse, you start to force yourself into accepting the bare minimum.

My advice? Set your standards.

1. The non-negotiables

Ladies it's not that hard to figure out what you deem to be what you want in a man. So decide on three things that are non-negotiable and simply do not negotiate or compromise them. For example, my man has to be Catholic (enough so that I don't have to drag Him to church or to pray with me), intelligent (enough to hold a conversation with me) and  assertive (aggressive enough to argue with me but passive enough to let me have my own opinions)

2. The preferentials.
These are the things you prefer your man to be,  but you can live with him not being all of them and only some of them, set these too and prioritise them. I'd preffer him to be funny, down to earth, somewhat attractive, fit, and has a degree in a stable job...

3. The deal breakers.
These are the things that you can not, will not and do not accept from a man, ever. They aren't your non negotiables, they're the things you can not accept from any man, even if he meets the non-negotiables and all of your preferentials. No porn or strip clubs, No violence, and he can not be a tight ass.

4. For the Catholic girls; Pray!
I believe you should pray for your future husband, because chances are he already exists in the world. But I also believe that in saying that all the catholic girls would agree that they should start respecting their future husbands now, by respecting themselves. St Joseph is the perfect Saint to pray to, he was the most perfect and chaste spouse!

After you set your standards girls, remind yourselves of them every time you're considering a guy as a potential boyfriend. Ladies this in no way means that you don't date a guy, you date them and figure out wether or not they're real potential or just surface standard. Remember, girls don't necessarily choose the kinds of guys that approach them all the time, so when a good guy does, give him a chance. It shouldn't take more than a couple of dates to figure out you want him as a boyfriend rather than "a guy I'm kind of seeing."

Lastly, for the guys who are potentially reading this, my advice can and will apply for you too! God Bless :)

Serviam OR Non Serviam

"Quis ut Deus? Serviam!" (Who is like God? I will serve!)

When put to the test by God, Lucifer - who wanted to be above God- declared his rebellion in Heaven against Him with the cry, “Non Serviam!” (“I will not serve!”).  The Archangel Michael loyally defended God with his cry of “Serviam” (I will serve) and vanquished Lucifer to Hell with all his demons, today all Catholics pray to St Michael so that he may defend and protect us against the wickedness and snares of the devil.



'SERVIAM' is THE battle-cry which needs to be our daily cry to God, declaring that we will submit ourselves to Him in His divine plan for each of us and for all humanity.
All you need is a sincere heart and good will (Lk 2:14), to unite your will to His and start bringing His reign and heavenly peace into a world that tells us to ignore God and embrace only what feels good. Translation; only want for yourself, what He wants for you!

Embracing the war cry "Serviam" is simple. 

Avoid Cafeteria Catholicism – 

We can’t pick and choose what we believe and still be authentically Catholic.  We need only TRUST that two millennia of Church history and teaching are far superior to what we may come up with on our own.

‎”Be Catholic, really, faithfully, unapollogetically Catholic, and the future will have the kind of articulate and morally mature leaders it needs.” (Archbishop Charles Chaput)

Put your Pride Aside – 

 It takes a pretty big ego to say no to Christ and His Church! What you need is more humility, total surrender and a sincere commitment to put God's will before our own. I know I'm not the only one who can say that doing it my way has never really worked out well for me in the end.

“Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.”(St. Ignatius of Loyola) 

Practice Personal Holiness – 

I could wax lyrical about this on my own or I could just show you this...

“Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by his Spirit, they are ‘holy’. They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do."  (Blessed John Paul II,)

It say's it all!!!

Be Joyful – 

It is so easy to let all of our problems take over and cause us so much anxiety and pain which leads us to forget to be HAPPY- it happens to all of us, even the best of us.  But, try not to forget that people in our community are watching us.  They may be seeking Him and looking for someone, anyone, to show them the way to Christ.  For some it's as simple as learning from good examples, or being inspired by joy and being encouraged by other people's faith.
Remember we are called to share the Good News.

Pursue Heaven, Reject the World – 

As Catholics and children of God we should always know that Heaven is our ultimate destination and we are not of the Earth.  Will anything but the Holy Spirit help us get into Heaven?  No without the Holy Spirit we are forced into a secular way of life in a society that only wants us to have little room for God- if any- and where vanity and pride take over all of our thoughts and intentions.  Doing what is right is not always easy, but in the long run it is clearly the most beneficial. Besides...  Why would we not choose Heaven?

There is still another way to be a true Catholic in today’s world that is the way that makes all the others possible:

PRAY FAITHFULLY EVERY DAY.

No one can seriously rebel against the Church if they are faithfully committed to daily prayer. It's really not that hard!

• Start the day with a prayer of thanks to God for the blessings in our lives.  
• Pray for help and courage to face the trials the world will throw at you.  
• Make the sign of the cross and pray over every meal, public or private.  
• Pray a daily Rosary and ask for the help and intercession of our Blessed Mother and pray with our families every night. 

Look, it would be so easy to read this and decide that it doesn't work for you, I'm not judging anyone, I believe everyone is guilty of not being able to do these things constantly and I know I have taken the easy way out in practicing my faith in the past mainly because I haven't been really keen to put in any extra effort.
We all push back against doing what we know is right because it takes a lot more effort, or because we don't want to be judged by others and sometimes even because we have a lack of courage to confront really difficult situations.
But, there's an upside - it's the thing I love most about being a Catholic- No secret it's not easy to be Catholic- the road to hell is EASY, but God know's that, and He knows sometimes we will fall, so He is all merciful and compassionate and gives us ample opportunity to rectify things with Him, while we are of the living, and He never abandons us!
Take it from someone who is incredibly grateful for her faith. I have spent way too much time in a pride-fulled rebellion and it was exhausting.  Surrendering to His will and saying “yes” truly made all the difference in my life.

So, what will it be, Serviam or non serviam?

What Catholics DON'T Believe.

Well. I'm kind of realizing the extent of people's misconceptions of what Catholics believe and/or stand for. So here's an outline of the most common and ridiculously wrong misconceptions.

Catholics do NOT Believe...

That the Pope is God and can do no wrong;
The Pope's ruling/teaching may be infallible, but it's important to remember that... The Pope is HUMAN, and being human means we are not perfect, even though we are called to be. There have been bad popes in the past, but that doesn't mean we hate the Church, that's like saying because ONE police officer is corrupt, society hates the entire justice system.

That anybody or anything may be worshipped or adored besides the True God;
No. We do not adore any other idol but God, it is our first commandment to worship and adore no one but God, no one comes before Him and all LOVE come from Him.

That the Blessed Virgin is equal to God.
We do not adore Mary, we love her, and it's okay to love her. “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” --Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Adoration is for God, and God alone. God chose Mary and she - out of love for God - accepted without question the will of God.

That images may be worshipped;
Images including pictures of Jesus, are not worshiped whatsoever, not even the Cross. These images are there to REMIND us of Christ's sacrifice and selfless love. To remind us of the Saints who are in Heaven, who can intercede for us, but never do we worship these images.

That indulgences give permission to commit sin;
It's pretty simple really, if the ends don't meet the means or the means don't meet the ends, then DON'T do it. This means that if you're doing something good for a bad outcome, it makes what you're doing BAD, and if you're doing something BAD for a good outcome, it makes that outcome BAD. Just because you get forgiven for your sins, doesn't mean you commit them.

That a Mass can be bought;
Catholic Mass is the most sacred form of worship that a person can can participate in, we are called to visit Christ in the Tabernacle and the ONLY way the consecration is made, is within a mass.

That forgiveness of sin can be bought;
Money is nothing to God, and nothing to your soul, you can't buy forgiveness from Him, you need to be SORRY for your sins and for having offended God.

That sin can be forgiven without true sorrow;
It isn't as simple as going in and saying what you did wrong. You have to be sorry for what you did wrong, there's no two ways about it, and the priest may not know, but God knows. He knows EVERYTHING.

That Scapulars, medals, crucifixes and other sacramentals can give graces without proper dispositions on the part of the user;
A scapular isn't a "Get out of Jail (hell) free" card, that you can just keep in your pocket- or in this case around your neck- for later use. These objects are meant to be used, properly and daily, to give us GRACES throughout our life, they don't protect us from Hell, WE have the choice to do that.

That non- Catholics will all be damned and That all Catholics will go to heaven;
Catholics are judged more harshly than any other religion, because Catholics KNOW the TRUTH. We have been given AMPLE opportunities to know, love and serve God and if we KNOW the truth, anything we do wrong, is rejecting it. You are judged by what you know, not by a Catholic, but by God. Our role as Catholics is not to damn the non-believers, but to plant the seed and pray for them.

That the Bible is the only rule of faith;
We CAN get all our answers from the Bible, but our rule of Faith has also come from the Church that is INFALLIBLE (perfect) the Catechism is a perfect example of this.

That anybody may interpret the Bible;
The Bible is designed to interpret itself, and the Holy Spirit has equipped each of us to understand it. Don't take anyone elses word for it, go out and deepen your knowledge yourself.

That Our Lord Jesus Christ established many Churches;
Jesus only established ONE Church, even if there are many, only ONE can be right, you can't chop and change according to your comfort and what is easy for you.

That outward piety is profitable without charity of the spirit;
Our religiousness comes from the charity of the spirit, simple.

That ALL religions are the same.
They are not all the same. There may be common theories or beliefs but they are not the same.

The Seven Biggest Cliche's In History.

Bloggers, bloggers.

After a somewhat extreme post a few days ago, I've decided to give away THE secrets of my recent success. I bet it's obvious that I took a Catholic approach, right? Wrong. (In with the unpredictability) Even though I believe God lit my path to recovery- I'm not quite there yet but I know I will get there- I believe that there are a few standard rules, for even the non-believers to lead a GOOD life, these rules are called;

The Seven Cardinal Rules For Life.

1) Make peace with your past.

Remember, those who run from their past, are condemned to repeat it. It will always catch up to you, and always ruins your chances of a real clean slate. So aim for closure with the past, this way it won't disturb your present and future.

2) What other people think of you...

Is none of your business.

Oh no, controversial. Let's face it people, we're IN a world that enables society to dictate to all people, of all walks of life, what is and isn't acceptable. You're either too skinny, or too fat, you're meant to listen to specific kinds of music. Sex, alcohol and drugs are not just accepted as a part of growing up, it's expected from the adolescence/young adults of this day in age. Anything different is disapproved. Why? Because society tells us to do what feels good, and to live in the moment. 

I can personally guarantee all of you reading this today that if you forget what other people think of you, and worry more about what you think of yourself, you will live a HAPPIER life.

3) Time heals almost anything.

Yes, yes I know, we live in a world where "time is of the essence" and there aren't enough hours in a day to get what you need done and it would be SO MUCH easier, if things could just happen NOW and not later. But honestly, that's another thing that is so wrong with the world. I'm not telling you to be a sloth, or be lazy or just sit around in bed, on the contrary, GO, DO but instead of doing something NOW and expecting results NOW, like going to the gym and working out to lose weight, or gain muscles, it takes time. All good things take time. Give it time.

4) No-one is in charge...

Of your happiness except you.

Here's a rule for all the young and in love, if they say they can't live without you, they don't need you, they need a therapist. Also, looking for anything or anyone to make you happy, isn't only unfair, it's futile. There is no one in the world, who can make you happy, if you aren't already happy. I'm not talking about the kind of happiness that is short-lived, like when you eat a piece of cake. I'm talking about the kind of happiness that makes you realize your blessings, in your darkest hours. That's all you.

5) Don't compare your life to others.

Just like not one snowflake is the same, no person is the same. Sure, twins can look the same, best friends can act the same, you can even like the same things as a person. But in the end, we are all unique, and not to wax lyrically on the joys of loving God, but we are all made unique, "in the image and likeness of God" (okay, maybe I am a little predictable, but meh.) You are an individual, don't try to be like anyone, you will be miserable, be you and if people don't like who you are, well... Refer to rule number 2. 

One last thing, just like you don't want to be judged, don't judge them either, you have no idea what their journey is about.

6) Stop thinking too much.

Notice how that doesn't say "don't think at all" - THINK, RATIONALIZE, but don't second guess your every move, don't over think your problems, if you don't have a solution, it will come to you. For as long as you are alive there is nothing that is not fixable, that's the beauty of life. It's alright not to have all the answers, they WILL come to you, when you least expect it.

7) Smile.

It's not cheesy. IT'S NOT. NO. Ok, maybe it's a little cheesy, but seriously- SMILE. You don't own all the problems in the world.

The seven biggest cliche's in history.