Gracie’s baptism is this weekend, and we are so excited to have her baptized in our church and by the Deacon who married us. But more than that, I am excited for the journey she is about to embark on.

Religion is something that was a very, very big part of both our lives growing up. But that’s all it was — a religion. It wasn’t a faith, it wasn’t something we chose to do, it was something we just did. And so because of our experience, we didn’t want to just introduce her to our religion. I want more than anything for her to know what it means and what it is like to be a spiritual, godly person. Just because you are religious, does not mean that you have a personal relationship with God or that you live a godly life.

We both found our way to our church around the time we got engaged. We knew we wanted to be married in a Catholic church, so we started trying out local ones before settling on St Patrick’s Parish in Stoneham. There was something beautiful that you felt when walked in, and while it is physically a gorgeous church, the parish itself and the priests and deacons are just as wonderful.

The real pull to this church was the relationship we built with Deacon Frank, a true man of God. He’s not one of those people that is incredibly obvious or showy about his faith, he just lives it. It permeates everything he does, and because of the way he lives his life, he and his family are truly blessed. At the Baptism Instructional class we attended last night, he kept stressing what a simple and normal person he was. He shared his personal experience about finding Jesus and finding this parish when he was 30. He had a lucrative career, a wife, a house, cars, money and vacations. But he felt empty, and felt like something was missing. By 31, he was divorced and starting life over. It was then that he decided to give God a chance. After all, what did he stand to lose? He went on to marry a wonderful woman, have two beautiful daughters and he eventually retired from his career to serve as a Deacon at our parish. And the blessings have continued to flow. All because he decided to put his faith and trust in God, and let Him lead his life.

I cannot begin to put into words how much his words resonated with me. Since our wedding, we’ve gone on trips, bought a house, advanced in our careers, bought two new cars and had a baby. Guess how many times we’ve been to church?
I can count the number of times on one hand.
And boy, am I embarrassed to say that. Because I KNOW that something is missing from our lives. That we struggle with feeling “truly” happy. On paper, it appears we have it all. But I feel we are missing the kind of happiness that comes from trusting in the Lord and letting him guide and bless your path.

All too often we make our plans, and get frustrated and upset when they don’t work out. We wonder why, when we are good, hardworking people. And maybe the answer is that we aren’t letting God be in control of our lives.

Just yesterday afternoon, Keith and I had a conversation about how we feel stuck. Stuck with this house. Stuck financially. Stuck and just miserable. And I kept saying “but life is too short to be this stressed and miserable all the time. what are we missing?? what are we doing wrong?”

And last night, listening to Deacon Frank speak, I got it. Of course. It was so simple. We need to make an effort to put God back in the middle of our lives. We’re introducing Gracie to this life, and I want her to embrace it and receive the amazing blessings that come from it. And I want for US to live the life that He has intended for us, because I know that it will be a million times better than anything we could have on our own. Trust and have faith.