First Things First

BEADS OF JOY 8-13-12 “First Things First”
©2012 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Life throws you curves and without a doubt many of us suffer through situations that are not always of our own choosing. In fact many can say, “We keep having challenges, and we keep having battles.” But with that said, nothing should ever come before our relationship with Jesus… Nothing and No one! Not even family members, parents, spouses, children, boyfriends or girlfriends. Jesus says in Matthew 19:29, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

Our spiritual journey in its whole experience… is a single-minded journey, in that we are the only ones that can choose to be saved; and we are the only ones who can develop a relationship with Jesus. Only we can live with some sort of moral compass in obeying the commandments; our sins are just that “ours”, we can be misled, but in the end we make that final choice to sin. On this journey we do understand, that we can pray for each other, but we can’t save each other. I know this is a hard saying without a doubt, and trying to live in some sort of balance isn’t always easy; just know that with prayer, fellowship and a sincere heart loving God, all these things are possible.

I share this today with thoughts of my own challenges at times, where my spiritual life and time with our Lord and our Lady, get in the way of my responsibilities, my relationship challenges and all the stress and burdens of balancing “life” in the place I am living it. Does that make sense? I hope so. We all have crosses to bear, but do our crosses lead us to sin, because of the stress or the selfish need of something. Or do we simply throw it to the wind, and at times literally not care, not even care about the consequences of our actions. I don’t know, I think we all flow through that wave of emotion from time to time. I do my best to stay on the straight and narrow path, let me tell you, it’s not so easy at times. Sometimes the path is impossible to stay on because of so many reasons. I say this to you, remember this scripture to give you strength, I use it a lot to stay strong.

Matthew 7:13-14 (The Narrow and Wide Gates)

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”

Simply keep Jesus close to your heart, living a life pleasing to Him; make choices that you would make if He was right there standing with you when you make them. Never let others mislead your heart, your mind or your spirit. Jesus must be your only co-pilot. This journey home isn’t going to be easy, challenges push and tug at us, some break our hearts. No matter what… never allow this world, its lust, its pleasures, its greed, its wealth, and its treasures to ever sway you away from Jesus. For in the end, all that will matter is “Jesus”.

"Jesus, I Trust in You."

Your Brother in Christ Jesus and His Most Precious Mother Mary,
Jimmy (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS