The Father's Daughter

A father has a very important role in the family. He protects, provides, and leads the family. He, especially, has a huge impact on his daughter's life. His love and care affects her in many ways that she may not even fully realize right away.

  

Growing up without a father affects a girl greatly. Girls who have lost their fathers and do not receive their love and affirmation on a daily basis anymore often start to lose their self-esteem. They may start to judge themselves and worry that all men are judging them. They also often have a strong desire for acceptance from men because they are not constantly reminded that they are accepted by their father. This leads to their questioning of their worth and their value. As girls grow older and they see other girls beginning to date, this wound becomes stronger. Many girls begin to feel as if they have to find the right guy right away and as soon as possible. It is more difficult for them to wait for their prince charming to come because they do not have their father reassuring them about their beauty and worth.  

 

Fathers Day is coming up and for many, it can be a painful reminder for those who have lost fathers. When a girl who has lost her father sees everyone spending a whole day with their fathers, it can be extremely difficult. Not only do I know girls who have lost their fathers, but I also can relate to this experience. Having lost my father at the age of eleven when he passed away from a sudden heart attack, I also completely understand this situation.

 

Over time, however, one can heal from the pain of losing a father. But how?

 

The answer to this question is God the Father. Ladies, please remember that you are a daughter of God. God the Father is the best Father that anyone could ever imagine. His love is so powerful and unique that no earthly father is even capable of giving that love. If you have lost a father or even if you do not have a good relationship with him, it is possible for the hole in your heart to be healed. It may not happen right away, but over time it will be healed.

 

Ask The Father to show you His love. You, however, have to be willing to accept it. Ask Him to show you how He sees you. Ask Him to teach you how much you mean to Him and how much you are worth. Ask Him to heal your heart. He loves you more than you could ever imagine and wants to heal you.

 

And don't worry. If you are called to marriage, God the Father has someone very special in mind and will send him to you in His timing. Never Settle. Trust Him and let Him find your prince charming for you.

 

Following The Little Flower's Little Way

“My little way is the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute self-surrender.”

 ~St. Therese of Lisieux

 

Ever since I was little, St. Therese has been my role-model. My mom used to read me a different story about her every night before I went to bed. Growing up and even now, I try my best to imitate her little way. Last summer I wanted to learn more as to how to put her little way into practice, so I read The Way of Trust and Love by Fr. Jacques Philippe. I find myself talking frequently about her to my friends and often they ask me questions such as “So what exactly is her little way?” and “What does it mean to trust and to surrender to God’s will?”

By reading this book and throughout college, I have come to better grasp what her little way actually means. College can be a difficult time for many people. Everyone seems to be breaking up, friends may leave you, and the work load can be so stressful at times that you feel you might collapse from it all. When friends or even a boyfriend leave your side, our natural human reaction is to feel anger, rejection, and loneliness. We may feel abandoned and then wonder… what should do with our life?

This is when we should especially turn to God for help. Through prayer, we can better fully understand what St. Therese’s little way means. Her little way as said in the quote above is trust and absolute self- surrender to God. Trusting and surrendering in God mean you realize that you cannot do it all yourself. You always need God’s help. It means giving every trial to Jesus and laying it all at his feet. Matt Maher’s song, “Lay it Down” basically sums up this idea of surrender.

Trusting in God also means that you understand God’s will is always the best way to go. We may want to go down a certain path, but is that what God wants us to do? When we pray for what we want, God gives us one of three answers: Yes, Wait, or I have something better in mind. If He says I have something better in mind, there is obviously a reason why He says this to us. He knows things that we do not know even about ourself. His will is what will ultimately make us happy because it will lead us closer to Him and Heaven where we will be happy forever.

 

 

So… If your boyfriend breaks up with you, there is a reason God allowed that to happen. He either has a better relationship for you or a different vocation in mind. If friends abandon you, maybe God is leading you to a better group of friends that can lead you closer to Him. We might never understand why God allows certain things to happen to us, because His reasons are sometimes beyond our understanding. If we give these problems to Him and offer them up as a sacrifice, however, our suffering becomes a prayer.

This summer, I am going to strive to follow St. Therese’s little way even more. You can ask St. Therese to pray for you. She is the one who came up with it, so she can definitely help you!

Remember to ask St. Therese to pray for you to trust in Jesus just as she did!

Sacred Heart of Jesus I Place My Trust in You

"How I would like to make you understand the tenderness of the Heart of Jesus, what He is asking of you. ~St. Therese of Lisieux

Jesus I Trust in You

As St. Therese says, the Heart of Jesus is full of tenderness for us. He loves us so much we cannot imagine it or fully understand it as humans. His heart is overflowing with love and mercy for us. He always takes care of us and always knows what is best for us. His plan will therefore make us the happiest. As humans we often, however, lose trust in Him and His plan for us. We lose confidence in His loving Sacred Heart. We worry about many things and start losing faith that He is taking care of us and will continue to take care of us. We are imperfect and, therefore, need His help to trust in Him. Ask Him to teach you trust in His loving and merciful Sacred Heart. Pray for the grace to trust.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is coming up soon on June 12 and one way we can prepare for it is by doing the Sacred Heart Novena. https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/heart/sh_novena.htm

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is also helpful in strengthening our trust. The more we keep praying and asking Him to strengthen our faith, the more we will grow closer to Him and His Sacred Heart. By becoming closer to His Sacred Heart, we will then begin to trust in His love and mercy for us more.

If you start to lose hope or start worrying, repeatedly say Jesus I Trust in You. If you go through pain or suffering say Jesus I Trust in You. If you are lonely or afraid say Jesus I Trust in You. Keep saying it even if you have to repeatedly say it over and over again many times. Listen to Him speak to you.  Fall in Jesus' arms and let Him love you.

"A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God." ~St. Faustina

Jesus I trust in You.