Today’s question: ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS TOO RIGID?

This is Day 34 of the 5-week Lenten journey with The Society of Saint John the Evangelist and their daily meditation on TIME. This is the last week of the series and the topic is LOVE.

See Br. Jim Woodrum on the video (2:40) below, or to leave comments on the Brothers' website, go here. (http://ssje.org/ssje/2015/03/22/love-2-authentic/)

If you want to share the youtube video, the link is:   https://youtu.be/yT22OA_tLpU

If you comment on social media, please use hashtag #ssjetime or #authentic

Question: ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS TOO RIGID?

Transcript of Video:

I think if most people are like me, we have this expectation of love: maybe something that’s given to us, maybe we want to emulate our parents, or maybe we want to emulate somebody on TV. And I think we go out searching for this certain love and have this expectation of what this love is. And, in actuality, love actually happens to us. It’s something that we can’t expect. It’s nothing that – whatever our plans are – love is actually going to wipe that out. It kind of happens to us, and then all of a sudden we realize we’re in it. I think we realize what a façade the other stuff was and just kind of give up and let it happen. It’s kind of like a load that’s lifted off of your shoulders, to realize that you’ve been looking into something that you can’t obtain, but yet God, who can do all things, has actually given to you as a gift. And it’s just like, “Oh, this is what this is. This is so much more authentic,” and you just run with it. But it’s a relief to realize the gift that you’ve been given, and to be able to be authentically yourself and not live to another expectation of what love is. Maybe that word – we strive – I think a lot of us strive to attain a certain amount of love, like it’s something that we can possess, that we can buy, or that we’re given. But there’s actually nothing that we can attain. It’s all pure gift and it happens. It just happens. It’s a mystery.

                                                        -Br. Jim Woodrum

Blessings on our journey to re-order time in our lives,
Agatha