Physical exercise is a part of my daily routine. I dread it, but I do like the extra energy it produces and the calorie burning. There are lots of other things I don't like to do either, such as grocery shopping. But I do like to eat, very much, so it forces me to grocery shop. The joy of food is also the reason that I do not like to fast, but I do like the fruits of fasting. Anything that requires effort and self-discipline, which basically is anything that resembles work, I look for an easier way.
There is no such thing as an easy marriage or any easy vocation. There is no easy way on this pilgrimage. Sometimes it just seems too hard and I don't want to put forth the effort. One day as I was complaining to God that I was over-worked and I just couldn't do it all, the thought came to me (I'm sure via the Holy Spirit) that I would do it more willingly if it were for money. That thought quickly gave me insight into my heart, and I didn't like what I saw.
I didn't value family life because there is no monetary gain in it. Our culture measures success by the amount of money we have. My husband never made enough money for me and I spoke of our lack of it often. It was our wish that our children obtain a college degree so that they could seek careers that enabled them to make a lot of money. And yet, raises in pay brought us happiness initially and then it wasn't enough. The truth is that there is no job more rewarding, more valuable, and more difficult than, to love, especially in family life.
A priest at a funeral I attended once stated that you can tell the success of an individual by the amount of people who attend their funeral. Success lies in the amount of loving we do and not the amount of money we have. A person who loves a lot is like a magnet that attracts a lot more people, because we are all looking for happiness and lasting happiness is found in being loved. If it were easy and came in a bottle, we would all love and be loved. It is hard, hard work that requires an abundance of God, for God is Love!
So if we find ourselves lacking in love, go to the source of love. Whenever I am confronted with a proposition and it requires what appears to be a lot of work, my initial reaction is always negative. But I pray on it, and I hear God say, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." (Matthew 14:27) The outcome of my efforts and in disciplining myself to say "yes" to more work, is always positive. I realize that God picked me for that job to do with Him, and I feel loved and valued.
God picked me to love this spouse and this family that He gave me. It is the most important work I will ever do, and when I choose to do it with God, I am certain to feel loved, valued, and rich!
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21
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