A Nun can teach a Mum . . . .

I left off last time realizing that action love takes work and is from the Lord. So how did that work out for me? And how is it that a Nun can teach a Mum about being a Mum and a Wife?
Mother Teresa is just one of those women that the whole world knows about rather Protestant or Catholic or atheist even! I, being raised Protestant had heard all about her. When I became Catholic I thought I would like to learn about her. A fabulous book put together by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C. called Mother Teresa Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta, was the natural next step in the process of learning about Action Love. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it!
However, before I delve into her and her book let’s talk about what started me on the road of reading her book. After last lesson and blog called What is After Romantic Love, I started trying to live what I had just been taught. It was at this point I realized how hard it is to give action love and how tired I was physically and emotionally from the past 9 months and all of life’s changes! I asked God,
“How far? How much? When is enough?” I wanted Him to say, oh, right here is fine, Dani. No, no, you’ve done enough, here is good. I wanted Mark to say how amazing I was of his own accord, without me asking for it, as this is how it usually goes.
“Mark, say something wonderful about me.”
“Your wonderful.” Me, sigh, I asked for it, but how else do you get him to say something sweet!? I wanted God and Mark to say, Dani, you are the single most amazing woman to have ever been born! Silly, Dani, Mother Mary was born on the earth!
A verse kept coming to mind as I asked the Lord to help me know how far(I always like to know how long a journey is going to take before I set out on it also, can anyone type “control freak“?) I had to go. Well, not the whole verse, just pour myself out like a drink offering . . .it kept spinning around in my head. What was a drink offering? Every time a drink offering comes up it is in reference to fellowship with the Lord in the Old Testament. When God met with man they generally poured out a drink offering on the spot. Later, God prescribed drink offerings as part of the Peace offering. The offering that was when man was in communion with the Lord. So far I had learned what a drink offering was and that I was supposed to poor my life out like one so that I could be in communion with the Lord. So I had to look up what examples I had of people who had poured their lives out at the feet of the Lord.
First, the obvious, St. Paul. He was the first to talk about pouring lives out in such a manner. He mentions it twice.
Philippians 4:17,
“Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” I thought about this verse in respect to my life. I’ve read this verse many times but thought as many think, it doesn’t apply. I’m not a missionary, I don’t wander the earth in robes and carry a big stick. So I just read over it. However, this time I stopped and thought and prayed. God, is this how I am supposed to feel towards my family? Is my life being poured out as a drink offering for their faith and service? I should be rejoicing with them? Am I Your missionary to them? The thought was like a record scratching in the distance! How much was enough? How far was too far? The answer is never is there enough and too far isn’t far enough! I’m pouring my life into them as my sacrifice to bring us into communion with the Lord, my loving them limitlessly and pointing them to God untiringly is a reason to rejoice! I will duck tape my eyes open and continually pour my life into them for God! By that pouring I will feel God even closer and who doesn’t want to be nearer and nearer to the Lord!
The second verse is 2 Timothy 4:6,
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” Well, I wasn’t sure when my departure was arriving but I hoped I had a lifetime left to sacrifice myself for the Lord. It was at this moment I realized that I had been living my life waiting for what I could get from the Lord. Sure my lips said all the right things, my life is the Lord’s, I’ve asked Jesus to take over, I want to be 100 percent His. But I only really meant that so far as it didn’t cost me anything. So St. Paul died for his beliefs, crucified upside down. In earlier blogs I have stated my admiration of this saint. However, more recent saints help me to keep in perspective what is required of me. Not just in St. Paul’s day does the Lord want everything, but in my day too!
So the Lord brings into my headlights, Mother Teresa, yet again! How you might ask. Mere chance, well, chance in light of the Lord, which is no chance at all! I signed up for a Bible Study at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Fayetteville. We would be studying the Bible and the book I mentioned in the intro.
Her goal was to give everything to the Lord Jesus Christ, her spouse! She even called herself “His little spouse.” That is amazing! I had known on some vague level that Nuns were “married” to Jesus but I had never realized that in their fervent love for Christ they loved Him like I loved Mark. That was an idea that was just beginning to dawn on my heart! My mind understood the concept, love the Lord like you love your Spouse, however, by reading Mother Theresa’s example I was realizing that it isn’t about how far, it is about there isn’t a distance far enough to show Jesus that I love Him and He is calling me to show love to my husband and children that does not exhaust, does not expire and does not hinge on any kind of action on their part. The finish line is death, the path is long and only the Holy Spirit is going to keep me on course. Just like Mother Theresa emptied herself out for the poor to bring souls to Christ! My calling is to pour myself out to bring my family’s souls to Christ. So I join the ranks with millions who have Mother Theresa as a role model and I’m a wife!!