Refocus And Redirect

I don't make New Year's resolutions any more; I gave up this fruitless practice (at least for me) some years ago. This doesn't mean that I enter a new year with no goals or aspirations, it is just that now I try to do it from a faith based and spiritual standpoint.
There has been much around the blogosphere recently about people choosing a personal theme or word for their lives for the upcoming year. My fellow blogger and friend Anne over at Imprisoned In My Bones has chosen the word DEEPER for her word for this new year. She also talks about the Four Degrees of Love outlined by St Bernard of Clairveux. Reading Anne's posts and a little of what St Bernard has to say on these stages of love got me thinking about where God would like me to focus more in this upcoming year.
I don't have a word or theme, but more a direction, for lack of a better word. Like Anne, I am always looking for ways to deepen my spiritual life and therefore my relationship with Christ. I have seen pieces of things come together during this Advent and Christmas season that show me that God through His Son, Jesus is always looking to work more deeply in and through me. He also strives to show me just how much He loves me and wants me to accept that love. I am not as attentive and alert to these promptings as I should or could be.
The one thing that always amazes me about God is that He knows just how to speak and get through to me. I have always loved books~ God knows this and uses this medium often.
Something I realized early in this Advent was that I have become very distracted by the trappings and unnecessities of the world. I think God will use the spiritual reading material he has placed in my hands to redirect and refocus my heart and soul. Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain and Fulton Sheen's The Life of Christ, are the main materials for this.
Our awesome God never tiring of giving and lavishing us with His gifts seems to want to guide me in this through His Mother. Mary along with her own mother, St Anne will guide me through this year. As I wrote in an earlier post, St Anne has chosen to be my patron for this new year. Mary recently has come a little more into my life as well in a very tangible way , but more on that in tomorrow's post.
So to rap up these musings and this year, I look forward to continuing my walk with Christ, deepening my relationship with Him through the guidance of His Mother and the heavenly friends He has sent my way.
All I can say is Ain't God grand!