Many people kept telling me I needed to write. I always felt called to write to share the spiritual lessons that God was teaching me in the midst of suffering, but I was thinking more of a book, not a blog. I never dreamt of blogging, but I felt called to share the spiritual lessons I was learning in a tangible way to others, because I knew how much I could have benefitted from reading about a fellow suffering Catholic’s spiritual journey during my own deepest struggles.
In 2020, my spiritual director at the time was eager for me to start blogging. I took it to prayer, and God confirmed His desire for me to write but made it clear that it was not the right time at that point. I would write for myself but not for others. I kept bringing the question of “when to start” to God at weekly adoration. Suddenly, one Friday, I got a “yes, now” answer from Him. I was surprised and chuckled because I didn’t know what was different about that Friday than the previous Friday (or any other day for that matter), but I went with it, came home, and started figuring out how to create a website. If you know me, you know that technology and web design are not particular gifts of mine!
While still in the process of doing setting up the blog, the Covid shutdown began, and then I saw a little more clearly what He knew all along- that was the time He wanted my blog to start because that was the time when everyone was struggling in one way or another, as comfort zones no longer existed. It was the perfect time to start speaking the messages He was giving me though suffering because they were relatable to such a cross-section of people- everyone was unsettled, looking for the truth and comfort, and had extra time in their day for reading. And so it began, in God’s time!
How the Blog Got Its Name
The name “For the Greater Purpose” came to me during the first year of this illness, when I thought the title would be for a book. I knew that the suffering I was enduring had a greater purpose- it didn’t have to be empty suffering if I united my suffering to the cross, used it as a prayer, and was open to how God wanted to work through it. I knew the message of “for the greater purpose” was from God, because I could not have dreamt up that meaning on my own. One of the greatest equates of the Catholic faith is its teachings on the cross and redemptive suffering, and our participation in that. I had a lot to learn about it and still do, but God has shown me a beauty that I never before knew existed, much less in some very unfavorable conditions. God has shown me that He doesn’t need perfect circumstances to work- He isn’t bound by circumstances and can always bring good out of bad situations if we cooperate with His will.
Now
I’m trusting that God is bringing good out of my still bad situation, and I’m doing my best to cooperate with His plan here. I spend time in prayer and adoration discerning what He wants me to write about so that this blog is His will, not my will. I’m sharing the lessons He’s teaching me- the things He is setting my heart on fire about and stretching me to grow and see things in a completely different perspective! It’s been a challenging yet freeing and rewarding journey, so I’m doing my best to authentically share how God has been and is still working on my heart. I still struggle with and work on many of the things I write about, as none of these spiritual lessons are a once-and-done type of thing, but I have grown a lot spiritually through this process, and I resolve to keep getting up every time I fall!
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