Day 12 - Seeking Something More

"And the LORD will continually guide you, 

And satisfy your desire in scorched places, 

And give strength to your bones; 

And you will be like a watered garden,

 like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." 

(Isaiah 58:11) 

St. John Paul II the Great, is one of my favorite saints. Not only did we have the joy of living at the same time period as him, but we were blessed to see him canonized a saint as well! He has said so many things that inspire me, but I think my favorite quote from him is this one: 

"It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which are you so attracted; it is he who provoked you with that thirst for fullness and will not to let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. " 

 We have spoken about beauty being the desire of every woman's heart. It is something that we long for and seek as a means to happiness. We are tempted to believe that exterior beauty/perfection will quench our "thirst for fullness." St. John Paul so eloquently points out that Jesus "is the beauty to which [we] are attracted" He is the one who satisfies our desire for beauty. Even more than that, He "provoked" our thirst for beauty and fullness and He is the one who gives us the determination to find true fulfillment and not compromise. As we "shed the masks" of beauty misconception, we do so not just to find true beauty but to ultimately find true fulfillment. 

Jesus is the ignition and the end of our hearts desire for beauty. We seek to fill ourselves in so many ways. We try clothes, make up, relationship, etc. Yet, we know these things don't satisfy. Our efforts will continue to be in vain until they are grounded in the person of Jesus Christ and relationship with Him. He is the one who calls us out of mediocrity and into a radically beautiful life. It is He who calls us to choose true beauty. And it is He who strengthens us, "The Lord...gives strength to our bones" (Isaiah 58:11), when "others try to stifle" us from becoming the persons we were created to be. 

If we find opposition from others as we seek the face of Christ and shed your masks of mediocrity, we must not become discouraged. Many great saints have gone before us who have suffered far greater consequences for their Christianity. Christ knows the deepest desires of our hearts and it brings Him such joy when we make the genuine decision to seek Him and true beauty. As we offer any insults or difficulties to Him, we will grow in holiness. Those who try to stifle us will only make us more beautiful. Christ's road led to the Cross, so we bring our trials to Him. He knows our pain. He will refresh our souls and fill us with the the Spirit of life. 

We desire beauty and that longing is at it's deepest root a desire for union with Christ. He is the answer to our hearts desire for beauty. Why? He is perfect in virtue, the embodiment of divinity, a living model of holiness... and that is true beauty. True beauty requires that we seek Christ and allow ourselves to be satisfied in Him. As we fall in love with Christ, He will mold us into His image. He is the beauty to which we are attracted and when we live in union with Him, we will be truly beautiful. 

Come to Jesus; rest in Him, fall in love with Him, become beautiful in Him.

 It is Jesus that we seek, and He is waiting for us. 

Today's Challenge: 

Read from one of the Gospels for 10 minutes today. Read about Jesus, listen to His words, and allow Him to whisper to your heart. Seek to fall more in love with Him today. 

Today's Prayer: 

Jesus, you are the true desire of my heart. Grant that today I might come to know you more. Unite my heart to yours. Direct the desires of my heart and bring me to fulfillment in you. Send your Holy Spirit to change me and make me like you. Help me to believe in my beauty. Do not let others stifle the journey I am on to your plan for my life and true beauty. I love you Jesus more than anything. Amen.