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3 Tips So They Don't Caught You Off Guard
How many times do I clean my heart and prepare it for Jesus?


Author: Staff | Source: Catholic.net



Every time I introduce myself in a new place and I have to say where I’m from, there is a brief pause, I don’t know what to say because I have lived in several places in the country and the truth is that people end up confused.

I majored in architecture when I was in college, I lived in a city called Valencia 4 four hours from the place where my family lives. My mom and dad visited me frequently, but it was always the same story: they’d warn me when they were already on their way or when they had just arrived at my house, just like that, like, parachutes. I never had time to clean!

I felt sorry for them because there was always something out of place: cardboards on the floor, papers, pencils and all sorts of material I used to do my assignments. Which meant that the house was never tidied up enough to receive them as they deserved. So, I’d end up half-cleaning hoping they wouldn't say anything.

I tell you this story because it was a situation that was repeated often, and I thought it was sad how I received them knowing they deserved the best. 

Little by little, I was creating habits to not be taken by surprise and be prepared... I started swearing by the phrase "neither the day nor the hour is known."



That's how I started to question: How many times do I clean my heart deeply and prepare it for Jesus? If I were to meet God today, what would I offer him?

 

It's a matter of priorities

"There’s time for everything, it’s a matter of priorities", is one of the sayings my mom always repeated to me. No doubt she was right.

Since childhood we’ve been taught to meet certain parameters that help us grow as adults, especially in the human field: Go to college, get a job then form a family, etc. or at least that’s the common denominator within the goals to achieve in life.

In real life we are always busy, twenty-four hours a day are not enough to do everything we want to: study, travel, party and so on but…once we fulfill this wish, what’s left? What happens inside you?

"Martha, Martha, you’re anxious and concerned about so many things, when in fact only one is necessary. Mary has chosen the best part, and no one will take it away." Lc 10, 41-42

So, I want to leave you some tips that can help you organize better:

  1. Make a list

Select the tasks you consider to be the most important or "highest priority". Organizing your day is vital to keep in mind the goals to reach, but don’t neglect to clean and organize what’s in your heart. Your exterior is a reflection of what is inside you.

Spiritual life strengthens and helps you to face all the challenges that may come your way, it helps you to transform the ordinary into extraordinary, and that’s precisely what Christ wants from you: that you be yourself and do all the things wa person your age does without losing Him out of sight.

"We need saints who go to the movies, enjoy music and walking with friends. We need saints who place God in the first place, but who excel in college. We need saints who make time every day to pray and who know how to fall in love with purity and chastity, or to consecrate their chastity. We need modern saints, 21st century saints with a spirituality inserted in our time. "

 

2. Create Habits

The smaller acts, those you may think have no relevance, help to form your will, to maintain an order in all aspects of your life, you learn to master yourself and the most interesting thing is that you have control over your "passions"!

I recommend that you start with small things, those you know you can achieve, like fixing your bed when you get up or praying a Hail Mary in Thanksgiving, thanking one more day.

Every process is gradual, what’s important is the constancy in them, they are small, possible but pleasing acts to God.

 

3. Do not give everything for granted

Although time is not enough for certain things, sometimes we’re confident enough that there’s plenty of time for others and what we should do today we leave for later, starting with doing the good, we always wait for the last moment to start believing , "How much, then I ask forgiveness, then I do good" and then my life goes on and there is no later.

"Blessed is the servant if, upon his Lord's arrival, he finds him doing what he should!" Lc 12, 43

Nobody has tomorrow for granted, how about that? Every day you live is an opportunity to start again but it depends on you and your desire to do your best. Maybe it’s on you that someone smiles because you made their day better or just said “please” and “thank you”. Remember it’s all about the small details.
Only one thing is essential, all of our actions have an eternity seal, that is, everything you do today can add or subtract for that "preparation of the heart" on your way to holiness.

I don’t mean to frighten you with these but invite you to make sense of all your actions and seek in them to please God, for love. "In the time God has given you, obey Him in the small deeds”. We’re here for an act of obedience, the obedience of the son to the father.       

An obedience that was suffered but brought a great blessing. And yes, obedience blesses... and that must be our greatest example. In order to obey we must listen, and we can only hear if we are willing to. Do not predispose yourself to the plan that God has for you.

When God created mankind, he thought about our happiness. He created us for several purposes, one of them is to do good, and that is that everyone needs to do good in order to feel good (for philanthropy or conviction), it is a necessity.

In the eyes of God, we are meant to do a greater good, He created us to be happy eternally, but to achieve that happiness He had to leave us certain rules that guide our walk, an essential rule... the rule of love. Many times, we don’t know how to love, we think that God requires us on a whim, and as we don’t understand we decide to do things our way. Out of man’s the stubbornness, we think we can handle it all and that time is limitless

 

4.Make it Count

Time has been one of the many gifts given to us, with a particular value; time is the way and opportunity, it's the occasion of Grace.

How much our life lasts compared to eternity? We’ll spend more time dead than alive; time is the opportunity to perform the mission. We’ve been given much, and much will be demanded.

Your time is today and now. Time to be better, to please God, to work with your reality of life for your holiness even with your imperfections. It’s time to believe in you and use the talents God has given to you, there is no time to waste chasing false promises, it's time to overcome evil by doing good.

"If you can still be better than you are, it’s clear that you are not yet as good as you should" -St. Augustine.

It is never late, today you can be better than yesterday; you can start preparing your heart and not be caught unprepared. Today you have time in your hands, today you can begin to determine what your priorities are, what you do today is the only insurance you have...

What are you waiting for? Make it count!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 








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