“The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” -St. Irenaeus
I am looking at my calendar this summer and the goals & to-do list section are blank. Usually, this multi-passionate woman gets anxiety when there is nothing on my calendar because that obviously must mean that I am not doing anything. This is WRONG.
I don’t know about you, but I can be an overachiever and can easily overload myself with everything that I think I should be doing. Everything that I imagine I should be doing and not what I want to be doing. If you relate, I want to share with you something I have been attempting to explore lately.
Only doing things that you find joy in.
I am not saying to quit your job, stop cleaning your house, and only eat out. This is not an excuse to stop doing your obligations that are not always fun. This is permission to be fully alive.
This is permission to be fully alive.
I have been inspired by The Living Person organization, which is a God centered organization that inspires people to improve their lives and become alive in joy. This is a very basic description of the organization, but you can get more information here https://thelivingperson.com/. It has changed my mindset. So, I ordered the free bracelet and commitment cards and found a quote that has been driving me. To my surprise on the inside of the bracelet there is the quote from St. Irenaeus “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” So I ran with it. Literally.
I have been inspired by The Living Person organization, which is a God-centered organization that inspires people to improve their lives and become alive in joy. This is a very basic description of the organization, but you can get more information here https://thelivingperson.com/. It has changed my mindset. So, I ordered the free bracelet and commitment cards and found a quote that has been driving me. To my surprise on the inside of the bracelet there is the quote from St. Irenaeus “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” So I ran with it. Literally.
I started running every day for at least a mile. Now some days, I don’t feel well and I walk it, but I am still moving. This is huge for me because I went a year with not being able to(partly not willing to) run due to joint pain. After taking better care of my joints, I have found joy in running. To be truthful, I struggle to get myself onto the treadmill, but once I do it I feel better. I blast my summer playlist and turn running into a praise and worship session where I can focus on Christ. In a sense, I am running with Him. After I am finished, I am sweaty, energetic, and happy.
“The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” -St. Irenaeus
When we find these moments of true joy, it should remind us of God’s love for us. I say “a true joy,” because there are self-destructive false joys. Those destructive joys are things that give us a brief sense of pleasure but ultimately leave us in a worse state. The true joys draw us closer to Christ. They show us His love and the glory of His creation on Earth.
So, I ask you, what have you been telling yourself that you can’t do? Where have you been lacking? Is it your health? School? What have you not been doing that brings you joy?
For me, I realized I have a deep love for music and my friends. I knew I loved those, but I did not fully realize the effect they have on me. When I don’t listen to my favorite music, I feel heavier. When I don’t talk to my friends, I feel less joy. When I don’t go to Mass throughout the week, I feel off. When I feel these various ways, I am not able to serve others as well.
This idea of being fully alive is the true “treat yo self”! To do the little things every day that make every day a little better. I am writing this on the sunny outside, with a mug of almond milk and my music playing, and, today, this is is my joyful moment.
I know these moments can be hard to come by, but what are the daily moments God presents to you? Showering in the morning? Eating dinner? Reading before bed? If you don’t have any, I implore you to find some.
Every day is the perfect day to be fully alive in Christ.
Only joy,
Kate
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