Mothers Group Reflection #19: Unfulfilled Potential

As we approach the mid-point of Lent, sometimes life can get a little crazy. Maybe our resolution is slipping a little, maybe things aren’t working out so smoothly or we are just really craving that chocolate or social media or whatever it was we decided to fast from as we seek to grow in holiness. Maybe we have other ideas for that money earmarked for almsgiving. Maybe we have failed many times already and feel the urge to give up.

I am really inspired right now by the following quote by Pope John XXIII:

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

As I was praying the rosary today, I was meditating on the fourth sorrowful mystery, when Jesus carried His cross. The fruit of the mystery in my devotional was “patience.” I think this is a really helpful encouragement for the desert we find ourselves in at present. Patience with the process and a complete surrender to it, in all it’s struggle, beauty and even failures at times. When I was a new Catholic, I took Lent very seriously, even before becoming Catholic, as I learned about it from my husband. Unfortunately, I saw it more as a “white-knuckle” process, trying so hard in my own power to not indulge in whatever I was fasting from, to not fall into that old habit again, etc. I kept forgetting that I’m not alone and to remember that the entire purpose is to draw closer to God as I let go of what hinders that journey. It is about relationship.

As I have grown in my understanding of Jesus’ love for me, of living out the Lenten journey, I now view it all in a different light. I think Lent is less about striving and more about resting. Resting into a new way of being that is hopefully carried into all aspects of our lives long after the Easter celebration has come and gone. It’s more about surrendering to the beautiful new thing God wants to do in our lives, and gently returning our focus to God when we feel various temptations tug at us. In Day 10 of his recent Best Lent Ever videos, Matthew Kelly called this “surrender” versus “compliance." (see footnote for link). He described it as a difference in our heart attitude that will determine whether we are ultimately successful in conquering a particular vice. Surrendering to God out of love and trust versus just complying with what He asks out of a sense of duty. We will find in this surrender that our spirits can be refreshed even as we are in the process of disciplining the flesh.

I invite you to join me during the remainder of this journey in resting in Jesus’ ability to conquer sin as we rely on His strength, to continue to look forward with hope and not focus on our weakness or failures along the way. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this strength in weakness in 2 Corinthians. He was struggling with his own thorn in the flesh and asked God to remove it, “but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

Regardless of how things are going or if you’ve failed (maybe many times), God is forever the God of fresh starts and He never gives up on what He begins within us. He tells us in Isaiah 43:19,

“See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.”

Maybe you’re really rocking along and have this Lent thing down to a science, but for the rest of us who are maybe struggling some (or a lot) at times, I hope you are also encouraged by the quote from Pope John XIII. I hope you are able to finish your journey strong, relying on the strength of our Father in heaven, growing closer to Him with each step.

Thoughts for further reflection:

How is your Lent going? Do you find yourself struggling in your own power with the various Lenten disciplines? I invite you to gently return your thoughts to God this week each time you find yourself struggling again, resting fully in His ability to accomplish good within you.

Verse for the week:

“but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NRSVCE

Kelly, Matthew (2019, March 16). Trustful Surrender. Retrieved from https://dynamiccatholic.com/best-lent-ever

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