Today we are talking about LIFE. Each and every life is a precious gift God has entrusted us with to safeguard and enrich the best we can. This is equally true of our own lives and those entrusted to us in various ways. He gives it and He takes it away. "Life is life, FIGHT FOR IT." ~Mother Teresa You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

At 23, I was bartending, serving at my favorite restaurant, working two other jobs and finishing up college. At 23 I was going going going all the time- and it was F U N. I would work hard all day, and at 11pm, when I cleaned my last table for the night, I would go out with friends and enjoy the rest of the night. I hardly slept, never washed my hair but I always felt amazing: tired but spirited, grungy but fresh, scattered but I meant it to be! I got pregnant. That fast. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared. The night I found out, Craig and I were watching Young Frankenstein waiting for the three minutes to pass in order to see the results of the test. The summer had just ended: Bonfires, sand volleyball at the bar, sitting outside late at night anticipating the moment a shooting star would streak across the sky were all fresh reminiscence in my head -- like the lingering smell of chlorine in your hair after you’ve been at the pool all day. Autumn was approaching and Craig and I were happy to be celebrating his birthday in two days. But I’d missed my period. I said to him, “What if I’m pregnant?” He took a deep breath and said, “Then I guess you are. Honestly, I’d be excited.” It was one of those things that you go through life thinking, “That will never be me. That will never happen to me. Those people are just stupid, or they deserved what they got." (Like it’s some punishment.) So, with that considered, I took the pregnancy test not really believing that it would show up positive. But, when I finally got the courage to pick up the thin stick and behold the electronic “PREGNANT” staring at me from the screen, my world flipped out. Suddenly, the summer -- that fresh-in-my-mind, carefree, awesome summer -- was gone. Like 5 years ago gone. I. Am. Pregnant. I didn’t really believe it. But I did. Rush of thoughts. Rush of emotions. Rush of panic -- sheer panic -- most of all. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to tell my family?! My devoutly Christian family! What shame this would bring upon my parents! How would people look at me?! How would I be treated?! Those were my first thoughts. In the 5 minutes after I reconciled in my mind that I actually was pregnant. Then, the next two weeks were a living hell inside my head. Not only was I sick to my stomach with morning sickness, we hadn’t told a soul about it. I couldn’t contain it! It was too much on my unprepared mind! I cried on Craig’s shoulder in earnest. Sobbing. Standing outside in the October air. He had to go to work and I was getting ready to leave his parent’s house to go home. Craig just let me cry, as he stroked my hair. After calming, he left, and I followed in my VW Golf. He turned left and I continued to my parent’s house. Sunny day, early afternoon, no traffic, no distractions, no music playing. I rounded a small curve in the road, my eyes flickered down to the clock to check the time. I looked up. My car neared too close to the edge of the road. I over-corrected. Then I over-corrected again. It felt like a bull had it’s horns in the hood of my car and was shaking it’s head. . . . My car rolled 4 times, through a heavy, wooden horse fence, into a farmer’s front yard. The doctor in the emergency room told me that each time a car rolls in an accident, the chance for fatal injuries increases by 50%. Simple enough math for me. Car rolled 4 times = 200% chance that I should not be alive today. I received a burn on my arm from airbags deploying. Of course, I had no idea how pregnant I was so the doctor took my blood and announced to the room (my family had rushed to meet me there) that I was 4 weeks pregnant. The room was silent as I looked around with my eyes filled with shamed tears. But before my sense of hearing could comprehend it, I saw smiles and was being hugged by my mother, father and brother who were all present. In the first 2 weeks of October 2008, I encountered more trauma and stress than I’d ever met in my short life. Grappling with why I was alive was angering! I’ve mourned beautiful friends who’ve died in car accidents. And I’ve “tsk-ed” and shaken my head to news that someone I knew was pregnant out of wedlock. And then here I was, alive and ashamed. I was met by some friends and family with silence and coldness about being pregnant. It weighed on me like a stone. I wanted to be loved but just wasn’t. I had no idea what being pregnant was going to do to my body (had never even thought about it before) so I was depressed that I was getting “fat”. I would see girls my age having that care-free lifestyle I knew only months before, skinny, tan and turning heads. I envied them with bitter tears. I went with my mom -- just me and my mom -- to try on wedding dresses. I stood on the platform, looking at myself in the mirror, wearing the dress I’d picked out, and I saw the little bump. “This is not what it’s supposed to be like,” I thought to myself. “I should be here with a handful of my closest family and friends, laughing, excited, with a glass of champagne, skinny and tan, taking pictures and smiling” But I wasn’t. I looked at that stupid bump sticking out from under the sash in my dress and a voice came to me, “This little boy will cherish and love you more. This is true happiness.” And that voice snapped me awake. I stared at my reflection realizing I was more happy at that moment than I would have been if I’d have been there in my ‘ideal’ circumstance. The ideal was more superficial, now that I had perspective on why I was there. THIS was real. This bump, this stupid bump, would be the greatest love I’d ever experienced beyond marriage. And it is. Two years later, two difficult years of losing jobs, a place to live, and all the other turmoil that comes along with financial distress, I would not have changed a darn thing. Lexington is a unique and separate little life. Many times you’ll hear some older person talking about their life in a boring, unsatisfied tone saying, “Yeah I coulda done this or that, but life happened. . . .” YES. Life. It happened. Lexington happened. He was supposed to happen. He is here and has exploded my world with warm, musical, blue, sweet LIFE! Thank you Jesus Christ for my little boy on this day. He is yours always, but Craig and I are better people with him in our otherwise aimless, wasteful life. What a gift. <3 Carolyn is a Catholic "revert" who attributes St. Pope John Paul II to her reversion through his Letter to Artists. She's married to Craig and they now have 4 children who drive her crazy . . . with joy and grace. She blogs at Svellerella.com and strives to use her artistic gifts to glorify God while being bumped on the elbow by her little ones. This post originally appeared on Svellerella.

This weekly wallpaper is so incredibly beautiful from Erica of Be a Heart. It comes from Psalm 118:21 - I will give thanks to you for you have answered me and have been my savior. No matter what is going on in our lives today, let us be a grateful people. Let us reflect upon all the times that he has indeed answered our prayers and the great act of laying down his life for us so that we might live. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about the EUCHARIST. The Eucharist is "the source and summit of our salvation." What a wonderful gift we have of God truly dwelling among us! Share how this gift has influenced your life. You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. photo credit Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

I remember the first day I felt alone. We were all giggling around the lunch table, the popular girls and I, and we were looking at our other classmates, laughing and telling jokes and mostly just being kids. And I remember laughing -- I have a ridiculous laugh sometimes, one that stops people in their tracks -- and snorting and making all sorts of bizarre noises ... and then I remember the tables turning. My best friend leaned over to The Most Popular Girl and whispered in her ear, staring at me all the while. She whispered, they both looked my direction, and they both just died in a blow of giggles that left me feel bludgeoned. I sat there and stared right back at them, as I couldn't avert my eyes from the train wreck happening right in front of me: the one that was taking away my spirit, the one that was taking away my innocence, that was quickly chipping away pieces of my vulnerable self. They snickered and cackled and pointed and I couldn't stop watching them just be mean. It was the first time I felt alone. I felt abandoned by the ones I let myself love. I realize now that children can be mean, that it's not just in the Popular Crowd, that it's not just in high school or in clubs or in college. I realize it happens all the time. I realize that I am, even today, tangled in the messy weave of gossip and of "I just have to tell you this story," and of "Did you see what she's wearing??" It's all so insanely catty and ridiculous. It hurts my heart to think of the things that I've said out loud about another woman, another person on my team, a fellow soldier in the ranks. And because of this awareness, I am caught up in the beauty of this community. I am caught up in the honesty. I am caught up in the vulnerability. I am caught up in the laughter. I am caught up in the avoidance of gossip. I am caught up in the expectation of good. I am caught up in the faith, the love, the generosity, the care. I am caught up in the solidarity, the unity, the bond that we women share. And with every single ounce of my being, I want this sisterhood to creep into every crevice of my life. I want this online, virtual space to become a reality in my own soul. I want to continue to have an expectation of good and holiness and generosity and love in every area of my being. This past week, nine of the writers and I got together for the first time via Google Hangout on Air (meaning we chatted with each other on video and then we broadcasted it live). It was eye opening. It was me really seeing these women, some for the very first time; it was me hearing these women, again, for the first time; it was me listening to them speak, that really revealed to me: this is where I am supposed to be. I am supposed to work hard on a women's ministry that gives voice to all women. For the woman surrounded by people but who feels alone, for the woman who sits unaccompanied and wishes for friendship, for the woman who needs a friend who can speak truth into her life, for the woman who can be an example of patience and love and kindness to others. The Lord created this community for those women. For you, and for me. I remember the first day I felt alone. The laughter, the pointing, the cattiness. And I rest in this sisterhood, and I sit back, at peace, and praise the Lord for the friendship and the fellowship and the love that He has embedded into my soul.

Mass with little ones is always chaos. I graduated from a Catholic college, and Mass was the highlight of my day. Really. Depending on my mood, sometimes I liked the lunchtime Mass, with the incense, Latin, and chant, where most of the student body worshipped together. But, oftentimes, I found myself preferring the quiet of the late afternoon Mass. Less attended, I could have an entire pew to myself and feel as though it were just Jesus and me. Now, with three little ones chatting or screaming through Mass, I hear almost nothing. The readings are lost on me, as I am usually bending over requesting for the umpteenth time that someone be quiet, which checking myself to use a gentle tone. I miss the homily because I am standing outside with my youngest, as she screams and tries to suicide jump from my arms. I find myself distracted about dinner, bills, or my never-ending to-do list. I hear nothing anymore. And with an exasperated, exhausted air, I tell Jesus, “Well, I’m here.” He always responds, “I am here, too.” And he is. As I kneel at the Consecration, I feel His presence fill the Church. There is a quiet and holiness that fills my soul. The anticipation is intense. “I am here. Come.” I approach the altar with my children, and feel deep unworthiness and yet deep love. He comes. To me. Oh Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. Only say the word, and my soul shall be healed. And He says it: “I am here. Come.” He truly comes down for us. For you. For me. He is present completely at every Mass. Body. Blood. Soul. Divinity. Read each word. Slowly. And with it, realize how much He loves you. Our God comes down so that we can become one with Him every day. He loves us that much! He calls to us, yearning to be with each one of us: “I am here. Please come.” As I receive Him and corral children back to the pew, I am usually teary-eyed and in awe at what a humble and loving God I have. He is still there, just as He was in that little Chapel. Despite the children, the noise, the distractions, He is there. Waiting for you. For me. Deep within me, I hear Him calling. Listen. “I am here. You only need to come.” photo credit Adrienne Stravitsch is a mom of three beautiful girls and a military wife. When she's not making sweet memories with her girls, she’s cleaning, crocheting, or blogging at Army Wife Life.

This weekly wallpaper is so incredibly beautiful from Erica of Be a Heart. It comes from Psalm 4:6 - Lord, let your face shine upon us. We have the spirit of the Lord shining on us, sweet sisters!! Let us rest in that. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about MERCY. "[Mercy] is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it." ~Pope Francis You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. photo credit We're happy to announce the themes for May and June!! As May is the month of Mary and celebrates mothers with Mother's Day, we will be featuring motherhood lifestyle posts every Tuesday. We'll be doing a double lifestyle posting with an additional post on Wednesdays! May 7 - MISSION May 14 - PERSEVERANCE May 21 - BODY IMAGE May 28 - FINDING JOY June 4 - BEING LOVE June 11 - HEART June 18 - WORTH THE WAIT June 25 - BAPTISM Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

Eight years ago, I gave birth to my first child. More than anything, I wanted to be the perfect mother that my little son deserved, but I was also completely unprepared for the overwhelming challenges of motherhood. I was shocked by how needy and dependent I felt – I was suffering from an unexpected bout of postpartum depression, and I was not getting any sleep. Up until this point in my life, I had unconsciously found much of my worth in what I could do for others. Now, my whole world had shifted, and I was the one who was in desperate need of help. However, when other moms asked me if I needed anything, my response was a simple “No, thanks.” I already felt so inadequate, and the idea of reaching out for help seemed like a public announcement of my inadequacy. I wanted to push away that unwelcome feeling of vulnerability. I wanted to be in control. I continued to isolate myself from other moms, and I experienced an even deeper depression as a result, one that lasted nearly two years. I literally felt imprisoned: trapped by my own inability to reach out to others. I am a slow learner, but God is faithful, and after undergoing two more bouts of depression and isolation with my subsequent children, I finally acknowledged my own need for support. When I became pregnant with my fourth child, I knew I could not walk through that darkness alone again, and I asked for help. I can gratefully say that it was the loving response of my friends and family that carried me through that challenging pregnancy and postpartum time. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a similar story that has a different ending from mine. There was once a servant who found himself in a position of complete need and dependency. He owed his King what would be the modern day equivalent of millions of dollars, a sum too great to ever be repaid. Can you imagine owing someone that much money? The amount of shame and hopelessness he felt must have been overwhelming. The King goes to him to collect the debt, and the servant responds by begging for more time so that he could repay the King the full amount. I want to emphasize here that the servant did not ask for his debt to be forgiven. Yet, the King responds with an amazingly generous and unexpected act of mercy when he actually forgives the entire debt, without any conditions. Most of us know the end of the story: the servant was clearly unable to allow the king’s mercy to transform his heart. He ended up being thrown in jail, left in total isolation. Much like my irrational postpartum self not wanting to ask for help from others, the servant was not willing to ask for his debts to be paid. Even though he so clearly needed help, he blindly insisted that he could do it himself. Instead of admitting his need for mercy, he tried to remain in control of an impossible situation. Perhaps, like myself, he found his worth in being the giver, and couldn’t imagine being on the receiving end of so much generosity. Ultimately, his need to control his own circumstances and his inability to receive the King’s gift led to his isolation and imprisonment. Of course, the King in the story is God, who wants to give us his limitless mercy. When Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, the Greek translation, tetelestai, literally means “paid in full.” His mercy is unconditional; it has already been won for us. But why doesn’t it transform our lives? Jesus told St. Faustina, “Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them.” I believe that the biggest obstacle to God’s mercy is a lack of vulnerability on our part. Why is vulnerability so hard? Personally, I struggle with feeling that it is wrong to be indebted to someone. And, as wives and mothers, we tend to gauge our worth by our ability to perform our job well. Relying on someone else for help can seem to be an admission of failure. But if we want to become saints, it is necessary for us to be indebted to Jesus. The reality is that we are limited beings, and we are not meant to supply our every need (much less the needs of our families!) by ourselves. As a homeschooling mom with four children under the age of eight, I am no stranger to failure. Some days I fly high. I feel as if I am on top of the world – in control of everything! Most days, though, my responsibilities overwhelm me and I feel like I’m drowning. Even as I excel in one area of my life, another responsibility is being neglected. On days when I focus on schooling the older kids and playing with my toddlers, the house is a mess! When I turn my attention to cleaning, I feel like I’m neglecting my kids. Every day, numerous times, I am given a choice: to admit my insufficiency and ask for mercy, or to grasp for more control. Speaking of herself, St. Therese insisted, “God’s mercy alone brought about everything that is good in her.” Like the King in the parable who wanted to pay his servant’s debts, our generous heavenly Father delights in being needed by his children, which is why our weakness attracts his mercy in a special way. When I yell at my kids, I can make an act of contrition and then smile at God, thankful for that reminder of how indebted I am to him for everything. When I completely fail as a wife and mom, I can fall to my knees and count on his mercy with total confidence. Amazing grace, day in and day out. When we see with eyes of faith, we are no longer overwhelmed by our failures, but by the mercy of our God. My sisters in Christ, let us together face the reality of our need, and ask God to give us vulnerable hearts that can receive the riches of his mercy. And let us trust that his mercy will be the determining factor in our lives, bringing about every good thing for us and for those we love. Let’s pray together: Father, I thank you for sending your Son to pay my debt of sin and obtain every grace necessary for me to do your will today. I acknowledge my need for your mercy and my inability to perform any good work on my own. When I see my weakness, it fills me with joy because I know I can turn to you, and I trust that you will heal me. I ask your forgiveness now for any ways that I have offended you. I especially ask for your abundant mercy to provide for those areas of my life where I feel as if I am failing. Help me to succeed in the roles you have placed me in. Holy Spirit, show me any areas where you may want me to receive your forgiveness and mercy more deeply, and also help me to give this same unconditional mercy to those who have hurt me. I praise you for your generosity and faithfulness in my life! In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Mara is a wife and homeschooling mom with four children who resides in Northern Virginia. She loves coffee, photography, and reading to her kids. And did she mention coffee? She has a passion for the healing power of God’s Word in Scripture.

Did you come from today's email? Oops, I sent you to the wrong link! Here is the correct link for today's wallpaper :) Blessings, friends! This weekly wallpaper from Erica of Be a Heart, is so simple and reminds us that just by our faith, we are blessed. It comes from our gospel reading today, John 20:29: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. We are reminded that the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Let us pray for both of these things, his divine mercy and faith to believe in it. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about RESURRECTION. He is risen! Alleluia! What joy we should experience realizing that Christ has conquered death! You can find the themes for every week here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

About seven months ago, I jotted three short lines in my prayer journal: O Creator and Organizer May I break myself down before You To be rebuilt as I am meant to be At the time, I think I meant that I wanted to be holier. I’d been actively trying to grow my faith life for a few months, feeling really called to get in touch with my faith on a deeper level because of a conviction that someone was praying for me. Somehow, this made my request for vulnerability seem rational and sensible, a task that I could probably take on by myself. The problem: I promptly forgot about that prayer. I spent the next few months living through a series of intense upheavals, culminating in a few quiet days during Christmas. “This prayer has begun to be answered,” I wrote below my short June reflection, “and I had no idea what I was asking for. Now, show me how to surrender.” The idea of profound surrender is terrifying to me. Words like sacrifice and obedience are off-putting and counter-cultural in a culture that primes us to think of ourselves as individuals driven by success, achievement, and recognition. The expectations I held for my own life hung heavily on me, weighing me down in subtle, hardly noticeable ways and leaving me hesitant and resistant to change. Providentially, Thomas Merton’s spiritual autobiography Seven Storey Mountain had landed in my hands around the same time. Merton was a modern man, drawn to fame, pleasure, and independence. His conversion and vocation to be a Cistercian monk was surprising to many, including Merton himself. He struggled with his superiors, struggled with humility, struggled with his desires for recognition and physical intimacy. And yet, he was holy. He was human. At one point in Seven Storey Mountain, Merton addresses God: “I was not sure where I was going, and I could not see what I would do when I got [there]. But you saw further and clearer than I, and you opened the seas before my ship, whose track led me across the waters to a place I had never dreamed of, and which you were even then preparing to be my rescue and my shelter and my home.” I found myself remembering my own prayer: "Rebuild me." Being rebuilt would mean becoming more human, not less. My struggle with my baser desires is forever paired with my desire for holiness. Surrendering to the will of God would not mean losing my humanity, rather, my very humanity becomes an instrument of that Will. The Will wants to lead me to redemption, even if the path is obscured in my view and seems impossible to traverse. I must die to self, allowing Him to resurrect me as the person He desires for me to be. So I am learning how to surrender, to be created in the image of God, every day, over again. I pray that someday, God will look upon His work and find it good. Brigid Hogan is a Midwest native who lives, works, and worships in Washington, D.C. Her main hobby is painting her nails while watching Hulu but also reads, runs, and writes on her blog.

Happy Easter, beautiful friends!! This weekly wallpaper is so incredibly beautiful from Erica of Be a Heart. It comes from Psalm118:24 - This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about THE CROSS. "So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them." John 19: 16-18 You can find the themes for every week here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

Good Friday...the day that started it all...our salvation and our great hope that one day we will be with Christ again in Heaven. How odd is it that every Good Friday I can remember has been a gloomy day? Today, the fog prevents me from seeing past our front gate, and mist drizzles in the air, reminding me that today, Jesus died for us. As the soldiers beat him and jeered, he never conceded to their demands. He never renounced His Father or relieved Himself of His suffering (something he could have easily done, being God). Instead, he prayed. He prayed for them...for those who were taking his very life. In essence, He prayed for us...we are the Roman soldiers; we are Judas; we are the very ones who nailed him to the cross. As we are called to fast and abstain from meat this last Friday of Lent, we cannot help but be reminded (as each hunger pain hits) of the ultimate sacrifice made this day so many years ago...for us. Did we deserve it? No. Do we ever? No. But, thank God for His mercy, for His grace offers us another chance at eternity with Him, every time we fail. And, now, as a mom, I have a tiny bit better understanding of Mary's perspective. She watched in horror as others humiliated her Son, as they ripped into His skin with every whip, as the blood poured from His brow when they mockingly placed a crown of thorns on His head. She knew that this was the purpose of His life, yet it did not take away the pain...the greatest pain as a parent...losing a child. Helpless, she had to trust in God's plan. Looking to Mary and Jesus today I am reminded of God's incredible work in our lives. Sure, there are times when it feels as if He isn't there. Times when we do not understand our suffering. Times when the world gets us down and our thoughts quickly turn to what others may think. If we are true to ourselves, those are not the times when God is far away. He never is. Those are the times in which He is strengthening our resolve...allowing us doubt, questioning, and suffering to share in the cross of Christ. And when we are at our worst, He gently reminds us of those who have come before, leaving an example for every generation...Mary and Jesus. Having been "one of those weeks," I can easily get bogged down in my own "pain." Never, though, does my pain entail watching my son suffer and die, as Mary did. Never do I have to physically carry a cross and be nailed to it in order to save someone else's life. My pain is almost comical comparatively. However, when I pull myself from my worry and anxiety, I can clearly see what this Good Friday is all about...a love that is anything but selfish, a total commitment to God, and a humble acceptance of His will for our lives. Mary and Jesus knew that their ways were not of the world and that the world would not understand; they knew His will would come at great cost; they knew that suffering would rip them apart. However, they also knew that to choose anything less than His total will for their lives would cost more. Good Friday is not good in the sense of a happy, giddy celebration. It is Good because it has forever changed the world, reminding us that unconditional love doesn't stop with wishing others well and offering an indifferent smile as we pass them by. It is Good because it reminds us that the Good is often painful; that God's will for our lives demands that we love until it hurts; that in order to spend eternity with Him, we often have to deny ourselves a "Good" life in the eyes of society. Good Friday is not the end. It is the beginning. Will I look to the sufferings of this world and wallow in self-pity? Or, will I look past my self long enough to see Mary and her complete acceptance of a life of suffering? Will I allow the ideas of the world to shape my own, hoping that I fit into the mold? Or will I look to the King of the World, breathing His last breath on the cross, not trying to convince the crowd of His royalty, but instead praying for those who persecuted him while so fervently living God's call. He gave everything so that we might have life. Good Friday reminds me that my very life must be completely His. Feel the Nails They tell me Jesus died For my transgressions That he paid that price a long, long time ago When he gave his life for me On a hill called Calvary But there's something else I want to know Chorus Does he still feel the nails Every time I fail Can he hear the crowd cry "Crucify" again Am I causing him pain Then I know I've got to change I just can't bear the thought of hurting him. 2nd verse It seems that I'm so good at breaking promises And I treat his precious grace so carelessly But each time he forgives What if he re-lives The agony He felt on that tree Chorus 1x Holy, holy Holy is the Lord Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Do you still feel the nails Every time I fail Have I crucified you Jesus with my sins Oh I'm tired of playing games I really want to change I never want to hurt you again Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord Britt is a momma to four and a wife to one, raising cattle on the grasslands of New Mexico. This post originally appeared on The Fisk Files.

This weekly wallpaper is so incredibly beautiful from Erica of Be a Heart. It is inspired by our Lenten Journal, Only One Thing. Let's eliminate the noise and rest in the quiet of this Holy Week. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about OBEDIENCE. "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to your word." Mary's unwavering obedience to God in carrying the life of His Son began with these words and continued throughout her whole life, from the moment of the Annunciation to the foot of the Cross. Let us, then, look to her when we struggle with obedience. She will show us the way. You can find the themes for every week here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up