The Hustle is Holy faith~love~hope
Intro:
We are living in a “GO GO GO” society where when we slow down, at first, it is not comfortable. After living slowed down, it is peaceful, maybe overwhelming after some time, and apathy threatens productivity and responsibility. During COVID-19 we have been forced to slow down and find peace as a result. This month we covered faith, love, and hope. In the midst of the chaos, I have been learning to slow down, find joy, be peaceful, and pray, all while balancing that with school and other responsibilities. I would take my breaks but I began to become too comfortable with the slowed down way of life. I have noticed that I could over prioritize “self-care” at times, not taking care of school and college preparation. In the past week I heard this spoken over me, “don’t prioritize self-care, prioritize soul-care.” First, like the flawed 100th sheep that I am, I thought that would make a good Instagram caption, and Jesus had to come clarify that he was really speaking and wanted me to look at my life. Today I am going to share with you all lovely daughters of God how we can find holiness in hard work or a “hustle” type mindset. (Saint) Mother Teresa did a wonderful job at this.
Prayer:
When I don’t pray I don't know. I write about praying and the importance of prayer. We all hear it so much, “pray for God’s will in your life.” I still forget this at times too. Now, Mother Teresa worked very hard. Imagine, Mother Teresa taking a day off to eat ice cream and stay inside, put off caring for the poor, dying, and hungry in the streets of Calcutta, India. Imagine her taking a bubble bath every couple of days, binging TV shows, or doing yoga to start her day. While bubble baths and ice cream aren’t bad in themselves, she never relied on worldly activities to be the sole or even first retreat place to recharge. She went to prayer first, in between, and lastly. The fault in the American society’s way with recharging and self-care is it is rooted in worldly activities. Those activities while are great in moderation are just that, great in moderation. They easily lead to the sin of gluttony and not relying putting our Lord God first. Mother Teresa would rely on soul-care. She, and many of the saints too, would recharge with prayer and the sacraments. Starting her day at 4:30 AM, she had her responsibilities in order and prayed.
*** Lord, Give us the strength to start every day and pray and too to fill ourselves up with sacraments, soul-care, rather than just worldly activities, self-care. AMEN.
Know your “Why”:
Organize your priorities and get to it. I have a planner, notes everywhere, an organized desk, and a calendar all to help me get to work. I am ready in the material sense of my responsibilities, preparing myself to work and “get it done,” but I also have to know my “why.” This is what Mother Teresa did. Since you would have already prayed to start your day and discerned what you need to do, you can find your end goal. Ask yourself: “why am I doing this?” “Is this going to help me in my walk with Christ?” “Is this something I already committed myself to do.” “Am I going to feel good if I don’t get this done.” Know what your end goal is and you can get out of a quarantine lazy funk.
*** Holy Spirit, Give us the wisdom to find our “why” and get to work. Help us stick to our responsibilities during this time of quarantine. AMEN.
No Burnout:
Burnout is easy to reach when prioritizing hard work. Mother Teresa prioritized the work God had set for her, not just any hard work. She knew why she was doing what she was doing and how important it was to be with the men, women, and children during their last days after having been picked up from the streets and loved. She knew the importance of her work, therefore she also knew the importance of taking enough care of herself to continue her work without burning out and giving up. We can retreat to walks, a TV show, a nice bath, a good book, or any other good activity that will build us up and lead us to become better. Ultimately, the best recovery after hard work is prayer and thanksgiving. Moderation is essential when taking breaks as gloutney is an easy sin to fall into. Therefore, try to integrate your breaks with life giving activities too. Say a prayer.
***Mother Mary, Lead us to your Son by reminding us of being committed to doing the will of God and being responsible for the work set for us. Help us to be obedient and pray for us always. AMEN
Conclusion:
Rather than feeling apathy in the slowed way of life we are living, we can pray and find our purpose in our work. God knows the plans for us so let us do our part and be obedient to complete our tasks and not abandon our responsibilities. We can find holiness in the hard work we do when we truly do it for God’s kingdom, when we recharge with wholesome breaks, and we remember to pray. I challenge all you strong, hardworking, beautiful daughters of God to find holiness in hard work the rest of this week and take quality breaks.
***Mother Teresa Pray for us.
In Faith,
Britney Diaz-Roman
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