Give Meaning and Purpose to Every Moment With Selflessness and Joy

+J.M.J.+

We are here for a purpose. God created us for a purpose, not a general purpose, but a purpose for each day, each moment and each millimoment. We should be giving meaning and purpose to every single moment of our lives. How do we do that? We must take our eyes off of ourselves and focus them on God and what His will is for each small situation we are placed in. Satan tempts us to take our eyes off Our Lord by getting us to put them on ourselves.

I have been blessed to experience this in a very real way this week. I drew a mortification this week ( a small sacrifice to offer as prayer for another soul). The mortification is to refrain from using mirrors and looking at my reflection in windows or anything reflective. I thought it would just be a struggle that I would continuously get to offer up. I did not expect to gain so much wisdom about our spiritual warfare by doing it. Satan tempts me by literally and physically putting my eyes on myself in the mirror. This seems like a small thing, but Satan has such a firm grip on small parts of our lives, parts that if we let God into them, it would make a huge difference. I came to this realization as I was washing my hands. What do I usually do while I wash my hands? I stare at myself in the mirror. As I stare I either space out or find every flaw on myself as I can. BUT, today I couldn't do that. I asked God, as I was washing my hands, what the point of not looking in the mirror was. It was then that Our Lord revealed to me that I was not giving purpose to the moment when I stare at myself in the mirror. What was I doing? I was washing my hands, but I was not paying attention to that at all- I was not giving meaning and purpose to the moment! It dawned on me- I AM WASHING MY HANDS! PRAISE GOD! I have running water and soap. Jesus showed me that by taking my eyes off myself I was able to totally glorify God in the smallest of acts- give meaning and purpose to that moment. In that moment, God was calling me to glorify Him by washing my hands- that was His will for me! By doing God's will in everything we do we will become great saints! God is not calling us to focus on ourselves, but to "pray without ceasing"(1Thes. 5:17)! Be in constant communion with Him, and to do everything whole-heartedly as a gift for God! St. Catherine of Sienna said "When I eat chicken, I eat chicken. When I pray, I pray". Do everything with purpose! "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving"(Col. 3:23-24)

Praise God for His many gifts and graces, and may Mary hold us in her arms.
OLO Perpetual Help- Pray for us!

-Meghan