Below you will find articles and commentaries on wifehood, motherhood, our beautifully rich faith, and other various topics written by me and by guest authors to The Catholic Wife. If you would like to be a guest author, please contact me!
CURRENT ARTICLES
When We Let Others Have Control
by Rachel Hayden
Why do we allow other people the power to damage our spirit? Recently, I allowed a spiteful woman to wound my spirit. Instead of just brushing off her accusations and innuendo as the complete ridiculous falsehoods that they were, I let them eat at me. And while they gnawed away at my insides, twisting my guts into knots, I got angrier by the minute. Days of stewing started to make me think – why do we allow others to have such control over us? In my case, I was accused of doing something that I didn’t do and felt the need to defend and vindicate myself. After I had done that, the anger still didn’t subside. Instead, I just milled the whole thing over and over again in my brain, which only served to get me all riled up again. I wanted to strike back and say some awful things to her in response. I wanted to tell her what I thought of her and not be very cordial about it. I wanted to GET EVEN. But all the while, I kept hearing scripture in the back of my brain:
Matthew 5:39 - But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other.
Luke 6:29 - And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.
Exodus 23:1 - Thou shalt not receive the voice of a lie: neither shalt thou join thy hand to bear false witness for a wicked person.
Matthew 5:11 - Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake.
Leviticus 19:18 - Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens. Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself. I am the Lord.
In the end, I was able to release that anger without swearing or devising a plot to get even. Now, instead of being angry with this woman, I am doing something very charitable for her: I am praying for the release of her soul from the grips of misguided “Christian” fundamentalism. Further, I am praying for her total conversion to the Roman Catholic Church! I believe she is a former Catholic who has lost her way and would rather bring her home than get even with her. It’s so easy to be angry and hold a grudge. A bruised ego is a very powerful thing. But even more powerful is the ability to forgive and let go through Christ. It's taken me most of my adult life to figure that very simple fact out.
ARTICLE ARCHIVES
Please click on a title below to be linked to that article.
Feel Like Judging? Pray Instead!
Walking the Walk
Clean the House? HAHAHAHA!
Preparing Our Souls for Lent
Family: Priority #1
Finding Joy
The Catholic Wife presents A Journey Through Holy Week
Mothers Celebrate Mothers (by Christine Blake)
Titus 2 - A Gem!
Let's Talk About Modesty
Lessons Learned While Making Bread
When the Modern Serves the Timeless
2000 Years of Seeking (by Christine Blake)
Roads
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