First Things First

I closed the car door and let the tears well up in my eyes. It was the end of another work day, this one filled with lots of confusing emotions.

We all want to be someone's first choice. The person someone else texts first thing in the morning. The top choice as a candidate for a job position. It stings when you find out you're not. Is it pride? A misguided sense of belonging? Or, is it a natural desire to be wanted, chosen, and loved?

We are God’s First Choice

It could be all of the above, but what I believe it ultimately points to is the reality that is at play every day. We, each and every one one of us, without exception, are always God's first choice. He would have suffered on the Cross if there was only one soul for whom to conquer death. He loves us tremendously, deeply, passionately, with fervor and a love set on fire. No one, not one human, can even come close to giving love as profound as our Lord. He loves all of us, with a deep,  intimate, and personal love. He is Love, and He encompasses it in its entirety.

Christ, our Bridegroom—as we are members of His Bride the Church—sees and knows each of us in His image. He is so personal with us and seeks us out, speaking the language of each of our individual souls. He crafts each intimate detail of who we are with the absolute best for us in mind. He wants your joy and peace more than you want it for yourself. And God as the Heavenly Father cares for His daughters. He searches out the abyss in the human heart; He understands its innermost secrets. The Most High knows all that may be known. No thought escapes Him, and nothing is hidden from Him (see Sirach 42:18, 20). 

In the simplest terms, He gets us. God knows the most and knows the best. 

My point is this—when you are longing to be first in someone's heart, or in first place, remember, my dear sisters in Christ, Whose heart you ultimately belong to, and where you ought to place the aches of life. Jesus Christ will always choose us, without fail. He will always relentlessly pursue us, until we can be one with the Beloved. He so desires for every soul to rejoice in the Beatific Vision.

{formbuilder:OTk3ODc=}

Making Him Our First Choice

So, I ask you this—what is your vision set on? How are you making our Lord and Savior your first choice in the big and little things? Do you default to human consolation, without first resting in His sweet embrace? Do you allow our Lord to console you by laying it all down at His feet and pouring your heart out to Him, the One who created you and knows your deepest desires? Are you confident that, no matter what happens, He never ceases to be in control and wills the ultimate best?

In the midst of the everyday, how can we honor the One Who awaits us? Our earthly pilgrimage to eternity presents us with countless ways to consciously choose Him.

1. Pick a morning and nightly prayer and keep it close to your heart. Before you get out of bed, offer a Memorare or Morning Offering through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. At the end of the day, say a prayer for your daily omissions and for the souls in purgatory. Eventually, you can add in a daily examination of conscience, try a litany, or weave in a novena. As we start and end our day, He is the One ultimately behind every breath and heartbeat. Let us not forget He sustains us and is always with us. 
2. Start to pray the Rosary. When we honor Mary, we honor her Son. First, try one decade in the morning or at night. Then, two. Later, as you progress, you can add in the mysteries of each day. Perhaps you can pick a day of the week, like Saturday, to recite five decades and progress from there. It is not the perfect recitation of a prayer but the power of Whom we pray to that moves mountains and makes miracles happen. It is best to pray it well and pray it in full, but the Lord and Blessed Mother are pleased even when we just pray part of a daily Rosary.
3. Dive into a daily devotional. Find a book with two to three pages of meditation per day on Scripture, virtue, or other facets of the devout life (see Divine Intimacy or Imitation of Christ). You can also go straight to the Bible, a missal, or sign up for daily emails to read the daily Mass readings, doing lectio divina every day or even just once a week.  Start with what you know you can offer our Lord and set a structure. This might look like five or ten minutes at the start. Remember that our good Lord sees the intentions of our hearts and values quality over quantity. Even when you don’t feel like it, stick to it. Remember that the Lord meets us where we are at—in the stillness of silence or in the busyness of life. Don’t neglect to come to Him just because the circumstances are not the best they could be.

Above all, remember to do small things with great love. Pray before a meal to give God gratitude. Make the Sign of the Cross when passing a Catholic Church to honor His Real Presence. Smile at a stranger, for anything we do for our neighbor, we do for Him. Make authentic love your motive in each moment.

The beauty of any of these suggestions is that when we put them into practice, we can continue to grow into abundance. There is no such thing as enough when it comes to giving ourselves to the Lord. It is an ever-increasing process to strive for perfect unity with Christ, a lifelong endeavor worth the effort. Putting Him first is not one moment in time. It is not reserved only for the wee hours of the morning. It is a constant choosing of how we spend our time throughout the day, with every thought, action, and word.

How We Use Our First Fruits

In a consumer-centric world, the clamor of noise can cloud our minds. The instant convenience of online delivery and satisfaction of instant “likes” on social media opposes the nature of forever, which is the eternity we were ultimately created for. We are in constant tension with the society we live in and the Heaven that calls us home. We might be tempted to think that the exterior world needs to change to fit our desires better, but in reality, change begins internally when we totally entrust our lives to the Lord. The beauty of frequenting the Sacraments while striving to cultivate a deep relationship with Christ is the way in which He provides the grace for those who take the first step in giving Him their first fruits. The Heavenly Bread we are fed at Mass and the mercy that washes over us in Confession will heal our souls and make us more like Him. It does not get more intimate than consuming the Eucharist and outright admitting our failures. Through this, the Lord’s grace is sufficient for us to set out and accomplish anything. 

We ought to give the Lord our first fruits, the best we can offer each and every day. Sometimes, that means throwing ourselves into His arms with all of our sorrows. The next time something disappointing happens, the next time something hurts you, the next time something dampens your spirit, turn to the Lord. He is eagerly awaiting us and has all the answers.

Before you try to scroll through some posts or text a friend, say a prayer to our Lord, won't you? Ask Him to reveal what this desire for affirmation really means and what it is rooted in. Spend some time in silence, whether it be in front of the Blessed Sacrament or on your commute home from work. Honor His importance in your life by seeking out the Almighty One first. Ladies, let us grow in friendship with our Lord and have recourse to Him. Run to the Father, and never stop until you reach the gates of Heaven.

Author Bio: Paulina is a Jesus loving gal living out in the Midwest. An avid reader, she still has more books on her shelves than she has finished. Good puns, good cups of coffee, and Italian food are some of her favorite things. On a pursuit to go where one feels most alive, she desires to share her passion for the beautiful Catholic faith with others through writing and photography.