Advent Challenge Day 11 Acknowledge Someone who is Hurting The holidays are filled with music, lights and joy, but for some people those things are painful reminders of what they have lost. Consider how hard this time of year is for someone going through a divorce, death of a spouse or even the death of a child. Acknowledging someone's struggles by writing a letter of support, making a phone call or sending an encouraging gift can go far in holding a person up this time of year. The Christmas after my brother's death, someone sent my mom a picture of him (we didn't know existed) with a kind note. We appreciated it so much! The challenge is to reach out and support someone who is hurting during this time of year. God bless!
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Advent Challenge, Day 10 Pay it Forward I heard a beautiful story today about a young cashier who paid for a gentleman's groceries when he came up significantly short of funds. The most interesting part of the story is that another customer tried to pay the cashier back and she refused! My middle son is really good at recognizing needs of others and filling them. He is always the one who shovels the driveway and digs neighbors out of the snow without being asked. He gets this wonderful trait from his dad. So, the challenge today (as they say in an animated kids movie), "See a need, fill a need!" God bless! Advent Challenge Day 9 Repent and Confess During Advent we prepare ourselves for the (2nd) coming of Christ as we remember His birth. For some of us that "coming" will happen sooner than we expected. Stop and take time to really examine your conscience... What stands between you and God? Do give things more priority than God? Do you spend time reading scripture and studying your Faith? Have you injured your relationship with another person or with God in any way? Repent and Prepare the way of The Lord! Consider going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). Please consider returning completely to Christ. Come home!! Advent Challenge, Day 8 Show Your Gratitude Today, the challenge is to send a thank you for something that was unexpected or one that is long overdue. Some ideas include: Thanking a teacher that made a difference in your life. Write a thank you letter to a parent or grandparent who has influenced you, or post a "thank you" on a public organization's social media page expressing gratitude for great service or kindness. When we focus on the blessings others have bestowed in us our hearts grow to make room for Christ, even as we imitate His kindness! Who has shown Christ to you? God bless. Advent Challenge, Day 7 What is my Advent? Can you imagine the anticipation at the birth of Christ!! The star, wise men, Mary round with child... It must have been amazing! Anticipation is my favorite part of the Advent/Christmas Season. The songs, lights, heck, even the sappy Christmas movies help my anticipation grow. So what does Advent mean? Does it only happen in December? No! For Catholic Christians we live in Advent. Eagerly awaiting the second coming of Christ. We experience Advent every time we attend Mass. We await for the Lord first in His Word and then in the Consecration of the Eucharist. Today I will take time to remember that Advent is everyday for me. Will you? God bless! Advent Challenge, Day 6 Invite Jesus into Every Room of Your Home and Heart When we say that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of our lives, do we mean He is Lord of ALL of our areas of our lives? Do we say to God, "I will go to Mass on Sundays, but Holy Days aren't that important." Do we ask Him for the blessing of fertility and children and then reject the idea that the Church approved method of Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the right way to glorify God through our bodies and fertility? Do we profess that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and then deny Him by practicing lying, gossiping or cursing? If we truly love Christ we will let Him into our lives completely. He should be present at our kitchen table, our bedrooms and with our friends. Today, the challenge is to examine our lives and acknowledge what areas we may be holding back from the Lord. God bless! Advent Challenge, Day 5 Apology Accepted Do you ever give the non-apology apology? You know the one..."I'm sorry I used that tone of voice," or ,"I'm sorry you took that the wrong way." Today's challenge is to truly apologize (if a situation) calls for it. Acknowledge any wrongdoing and recognize that the other person felt injured. In my house we have a rule. If someone says, "I'm sorry," the response can NEVER be, It's okay." The response must be, "Thank you, I accept your apology." It's never okay to hurt someone and it's not okay to refuse a true apology. "Seven times seventy times." God bless. Advent Challenge, Day 4 Surprise Someone One of my favorite things about Christmas, is that random acts of kindness are not only accepted, they are encouraged! Today, surprise someone... Bring the bell ringer at the mall a cup of coffee, cook a meal for a neighbor or drop off some personal health care items at a military support foundation. Anything that helps another or brings a smile to a stranger's face will also light the path toward Christ. Prepare the way of the Lord by surprising someone today. God bless! Advent Challenge, Day 3 Let's Lighten Up! Today's challenge is to lighten up! Find something that has become a burden and get rid of it. For example: Your closets are busting at the seams with clothes you either don't need, don't wear or don't fit. Consider donating them to charity. Or you have been sending out Christmas cards for years to people who never respond. Take those people off your card list or think about saving time and money by switching to a digital card. I am personally skipping the Christmas letter this year. Not much has changed and I don't need to start a brag fest, so there is no point. What things take up space or time in your life that you no longer need? Lighten up. Advent Challenge, Day 2 (This one is personal!) Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we focused on being thankful for someone who had hurt us. Today, similarly, we reframe a bad situation (past or present) as a blessing. A famous director once said that he put his characters under stress to define them. This is true in life as well. Consider how a huge life event that was painful or even tragic helped teach you a positive lesson. I recently shared my life/faith testimony at a Magnificat breakfast. I shared what I gained from three difficult, life-changing events. The first was my father's repeated rejection of me. The second, my brother's suicide. The third, was my divorce (many years ago, prior to meeting my wonderful husband of the past 24 years). I asked God why these events happened to me and this was what I felt He answered: I didn't want you to call anyone else 'Daddy' except for Me. I used that place for Me to fill as your true Father. I needed a deeper place in your heart for Me, so I used your pain and loss when your brother died, to carve out a bigger space for Me to love you and you to love Me. You never asked me if your ex-husband was the one I chose for you, so when he left, I just let him go. I had someone special for you already in mind. How would God answer you if you asked a similar question? |