P made this comment to me yesterday, that it must have been very difficult for me to walk away from corporate life and all its financial comforts given how I do like nice things, or should I say I like things that usually cost a pretty penny (I have this uncanny knack of liking and picking out the most expensive merchandise in any shop I walk into).
I smiled inwardly. Actually it was, is, not as difficult as he thinks. I have never been into prestige or symbols of wealth even though I do appreciate quality and good design. What's more, I do not have the need to possess everything I like, I am quite happy to live vicariously, admiring what others have - C's Kelly and Birkin bags, AS's magnificent jewellery or S's Porsche - occasionally benefitting from it myself (it's nice to ride in S's "small" car from time to time).
Very early on in life I came to the conclusion that things do not make me happy, it's people, relationships, and most of all, being in right relationship with God, that matters. So while the lean years that followed my decision to leave the corporate world were not easy ones, I gained in many other ways and I was content with what I had. I experienced divine providence many times over and I could express great wonder and gratitude at how the Lord provided for me through the people around me. I can truly say I have good friends and relatives, who are very loving and generous with me. I wanted for nothing in those financially straitened years, and even now, I consider myself very blessed.
In today's Gospel from Luke 12:13-21 we are reminded not to let avarice lead us to storing up treasures for ourselves but to work on getting rich in the eyes of God. Father Bosco cautioned against conscious and unconscious attachments to material wealth, power, status or acclaim, anything that leads us away from God. He stressed that we strive to look for what is essential in life and prioritize accordingly.
What is essential is often much less than we think. I would say I have been given the grace to learn to live essentially these past years. Food, shelter and love, these are my essentials, and I rely on God to provide all three. I cut my cloth according to what I receive, and so if I cannot afford it, I do without it for my happiness is not predicated on material possessions. Furthermore, it should not matter to the people I call friends if I dress simply, and we eat out at cheaper places when I buy lunch.
My dignity and self-worth do not depend on external accoutrements to puff it up. In my Father's eyes, I am precious and beautiful naked. His is the only approval I seek, His plan for me is the only one I do my best to execute, knowing that it is in His plan that my fulfilment and happiness lie.
My last 13 years are a testament to living essentially for the Lord in all areas (I try) of my life. To do whatever He tells me. Total obedience is never easy when one is as strong willed as I am, so it's a good thing I spend a lot of time listening in prayer and have, over the years, developed a sensitivity to the movements of the Spirit in my heart.
My riches in God come from doing what He created me to do, by pursuing my passions, and living exuberantly. Walking the narrow path is not all about great sacrifice and strict discipline, it is also about utter fulfilment, deep inner peace and a sense of lasting joy that comes from being in union with Jesus. Therefore I have no plans to deviate from the narrow path, and I continue to look to Jesus to help me strip away the vanities that camouflage my real being, who is the woman who needs very little even when she receives a lot.
I smiled inwardly. Actually it was, is, not as difficult as he thinks. I have never been into prestige or symbols of wealth even though I do appreciate quality and good design. What's more, I do not have the need to possess everything I like, I am quite happy to live vicariously, admiring what others have - C's Kelly and Birkin bags, AS's magnificent jewellery or S's Porsche - occasionally benefitting from it myself (it's nice to ride in S's "small" car from time to time).
Very early on in life I came to the conclusion that things do not make me happy, it's people, relationships, and most of all, being in right relationship with God, that matters. So while the lean years that followed my decision to leave the corporate world were not easy ones, I gained in many other ways and I was content with what I had. I experienced divine providence many times over and I could express great wonder and gratitude at how the Lord provided for me through the people around me. I can truly say I have good friends and relatives, who are very loving and generous with me. I wanted for nothing in those financially straitened years, and even now, I consider myself very blessed.
In today's Gospel from Luke 12:13-21 we are reminded not to let avarice lead us to storing up treasures for ourselves but to work on getting rich in the eyes of God. Father Bosco cautioned against conscious and unconscious attachments to material wealth, power, status or acclaim, anything that leads us away from God. He stressed that we strive to look for what is essential in life and prioritize accordingly.
What is essential is often much less than we think. I would say I have been given the grace to learn to live essentially these past years. Food, shelter and love, these are my essentials, and I rely on God to provide all three. I cut my cloth according to what I receive, and so if I cannot afford it, I do without it for my happiness is not predicated on material possessions. Furthermore, it should not matter to the people I call friends if I dress simply, and we eat out at cheaper places when I buy lunch.
My dignity and self-worth do not depend on external accoutrements to puff it up. In my Father's eyes, I am precious and beautiful naked. His is the only approval I seek, His plan for me is the only one I do my best to execute, knowing that it is in His plan that my fulfilment and happiness lie.
My last 13 years are a testament to living essentially for the Lord in all areas (I try) of my life. To do whatever He tells me. Total obedience is never easy when one is as strong willed as I am, so it's a good thing I spend a lot of time listening in prayer and have, over the years, developed a sensitivity to the movements of the Spirit in my heart.
My riches in God come from doing what He created me to do, by pursuing my passions, and living exuberantly. Walking the narrow path is not all about great sacrifice and strict discipline, it is also about utter fulfilment, deep inner peace and a sense of lasting joy that comes from being in union with Jesus. Therefore I have no plans to deviate from the narrow path, and I continue to look to Jesus to help me strip away the vanities that camouflage my real being, who is the woman who needs very little even when she receives a lot.
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