Be Satisfied with Me

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says,
"No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled and content
With being loved by Me alone,With giving yourself totally and reservedly to Me,
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationshipThat I have planned for you.
You will never be united with another until you are united
With Me alone,Exclusive of anyone or anything else,
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.

I want you to stop planning,
Stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing,
One that you cannot imagine.
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I Am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That's all.
Don't be anxious.
Don't worry.
Don't look at the things you think you want;
You just keep looking off and away up to Me,
Or you'll miss what I want to show you.
And then when you are ready,I'll surprise you with a love far more wonderful than any
You could dream of.
You see, until you are ready and until
The one I have for you is ready
(I am working even at this moment to have you both ready at the same time),
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me
And the life I prepared for you,
You won't be able to experience the love that
Exemplified your relationship with Me.
And this is the perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love,
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your
Relationship with Me,
And to enjoy materially and concretely
The everlasting union of beauty, perfection and love
That I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love utterly.
I Am God.
Believe it and be satisfied.

~ St. Anthony of Padua

Not Just for Lovers ;)

Earlier this morning I was doing some reading/skimming of a youth ministry books and my thoughts wandered off to Theology of the Body and friendship. Theology of the Body isn't just about dating and marriage, it should affect the core of all relationships. It asks us how we can uphold the dignity of our friends, no matter who they are.

My spiritual director and I once talked about how we can learn to love others by loving God first, but we can also learn how to love God by loving others. Make sense? It is amazing at how we are called to be in relationship with God and with others... relationships are an essential part of our lives! Learning to love our friends for who they are can help prepare us for that big "I do," granted that we are called to that (or aren't already married).

The stages of friendship are so unique... and coming down to Fort Worth I've been able to experience them all anew. It can be difficult to remain patient in friendships and not expect them to blossom overnight, which is something I have learned. When that comfortability does come in a friendship it is a joyous feeling, even simply making yourself at home at someone else's place. I always hope that wherever my home is can be a "home" to others as well, that they would feel comfortable to let themselves in (that is, if I know they're coming!), use the kitchen, and simply kick back and relax. Friends are great blessings and they keep the flow of life running through our bodies, energizing us with joy and laughter and helping us to embrace suffering and pain.

Love is what makes life exciting; life is what makes love exciting.

Some more ramblings

I love my guy friends and I love sharing with them my "guy stories." It's funny to see what advice they give (or don't give) and I don't think guys can even understand other guys! Their responses often include advice to make a move... easy enough for them to say! First of all, I think I'm too nervous that the guy wouldn't feel the same way and then you never know if things could get awkward after that (but that probably depends on who the guy is). Secondly, as I've mentioned before, I don't want to be the pursuer! On the other hand, one friend said it's nice for the guy to know that there can be a "hunt." The word hunt sounds crazy and I don't want to make women out to look like prey, but it has some truth. I'm sure there is a better word for it, but right now it's too late and I probably haven't been thinking clearly for several days! Gotta love that whole vacation thing!

One guy told me that I should just say "hey, I like you, you like me?" and I immediately shot that piece of 'advice' down. Yeah, if only it were that easy.

One last random ramble: I have no idea if anyone reads this blog, but it is posted on my profile on facebook... so at times I wonder if I reveal too much of myself in here!?! Oh well, it's who I am, part of my life, and I don't want to hide away from the world.