A little over a week ago I finally went to adoration at my church in a town I’ve been living in for over 6 months now. What took me so long to get there? Well a part of me wants to say that the adoration time was hard to fit into my schedule but it is literally 12 pm to 7 pm. I honestly either forgot or made excuses week after week. Finally I went. As I was walking into the little adoration chapel I was keenly aware that I was the only person there who would not qualify for a senior discount. In my college town, adoration was attended by more college students and young adults than any other group. I was constantly surrounded by a little crew of people my age who were striving for holiness and pushing me to grow in my relationship with Christ. I had people holding me accountable. As I sat down in adoration I began to think, you don’t always need your little “striving squad” of other like minded people striving for holiness, to grow in your faith. Of course it’s helpful, and often even life-giving but if you are motivated enough you can be committed to your own journey in faith without anyone’s help.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not me advocating for the fact that you can do it alone. In fact, every time my prayer life has suffered, it has been because I did not have other people to hold me accountable and push me. But, not having a solid group of church friends should not be the reason your prayer life suffers!
This is a note that I wrote to myself in adoration that I would like to share with y’all,
“Do not allow your place in life or your place in your faith be determined by anyone but you. Place your identity and trust in the Lord and takeoff running. Maybe you will look to the side and find someone running alongside you but slow down for no one. Do not be afraid to be too Catholic, or too Christian. Never judge or talk down to anyone but never let anyone drag you down. Society will tell you what you’re doing is not right but the feeling of peace and joy and fulfillment that can come only from Jesus Christ will remind you that you are on the right path. Be steadfast in your pursuit of the Lord. He is constant and He will fill your cup!!”
This is something I really struggled with my first 5 months or so on my own in the real world. I convinced myself that because I wasn’t on a campus with a super active faith community, and because I couldn’t seem to find a lot of young people trying to grow in their faith in my new community, that I was just out of luck and that I could just let my faith life plateau. I didn’t realize that I could continue to grow in my faith and push myself in my faith on my own, I just had to makeup my mind that that’s what I wanted and ask the Lord for help.
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