Self-Love in Hardship in My Musings

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the official start of Lent. I’d like to share some of the priest’s points in the homily which really resonated with me, and how these relate to the topic at hand.

1. Surrender - We are living in a time wherein we think we can do everything by ourselves. Ultimately, we lose ourselves in the process and God becomes a mere
afterthought and even dismiss our need for him. However, it is only through knowing that we have our limits, and acknowledging that leaving the rest up to him works - it simply does.

I was in a dark place last year owing to multiple reasons. Things were simply making no sense, and despite my numerous attempts to act and make decisions based on logic, there was little progress which contributed to being in a further downward spiral.

It was about a couple weeks after that I decided to take the introspection route - meditation and prayer, to be exact. Admittedly, I am not the type who resorts to either - I just thought that I had nothing to lose. As cliche as it may sound, the quiet time helped in bringing a feeling of peace/acceptance of the situation and improving my relationship with him. Truly, man cannot live on his own efforts alone, and showing up for myself includes asking for divine guidance (which I now make a consistent practice).

2. Healing - The priest made a fascinating point when he connected this concept to fasting, a key component of Lent. Fasting heals, because food is the common culprit of maladies, whether physical or mental.

I wholeheartedly agree with the above, especially with food being our common go-to in difficult times. Being a long time fitness enthusiast, keeping a healthful diet (and exercise, to add), is a time-tested method of being in tip-top shape in and out.