3 Facts about the Presentation of the Lord you likely don’t know
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Between careers, spouses, and sports practices and games for our children, it seems like life quickly gets busy daily. You grab a cup of coffee, jump in for a quick shower, get dressed while yelling at the children to finish getting prepared for school, and off you go into your day. The kids go to school, you go to work, rush to the school after work to take your children to football or cheerleading practice, make dinner, get the children ready for bed, and off to bed yourself to crash. Just to do it all over again the next day.
You have a desire to do better. You want to pray more and grow in your faith. You just don’t have time. After all, when are you supposed to pray in the middle of such a crazy and hectic life?
I once heard someone say, “if you’re too busy to pray, then you’re too busy.” When I first heard it I wanted to say, “yeah, but you obviously don’t know my schedule.” The busier my life became, the more the Lord brought that statement back to my attention. After all, I am not on a time constraint to save the world and share the truth of God with others. Jesus made time to constantly pray, and we can’t seem to squeeze in 10 minutes with the Lord.
I am going to say something that may seem harsh, but it is true and Biblical. If your spouse is more of a priority than the Lord, then your priorities are wrong. If your children are more of a priority than the Lord, then your priorities are out of line. If your career is more important than the Lord, you need to reevaluate them. Nothing and no one should be more important than the Lord. When the Lord becomes your primary priority, then you will have plenty of time to pray and the rest of life will fall into place. Here’s a little tip for you. When the Lord is your priority, everything and everyone else will be blessed even more than they already may be today.
It may require you to get up an extra 30 minutes early each day, take a lunch break at work and get alone to pray, or get a few minutes alone while waiting on your child to finish practice. If you make Jesus important in your life, then your spouse and children will make Jesus a priority.
What to do when you are too busy to pray? Pray.
If Jesus could make time to pray all night while He was feeding thousands, walking on water, calming storms, preaching, and raising the dead, then you can find time to pray.
If you’re too busy to pray, then you’re too busy,
Amelia Monroe Carlson graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. Being raised as a Methodist during her early years, it was not until she entered college where she began to take her faith seriously. She was baptized as a Southern Baptist in Muscle Shoals, AL and began immediately serving in international missions and in the church.
During college, she became the Co-founder of an International Ministry, where she spent time traveling and speaking to church groups and in large conferences. She authored a Bible study and traveled abroad on mission work. She sat on the Mid-South Interfaith Conferences in Mississippi, where she defended the faith and discussed beliefs with leaders of various religions.
After a business trip to Washington D.C., where she was introduced to a former Baptist who converted to the Catholic Church, she was placed on a journey to enter into the Catholic Church.
Amelia is a military wife and currently residents with her husband and daughter in Tennessee. She is a nine time award winning journalist, receiving press awards for various categories including investigative journalism, best news coverage, and best single feature. It is her desire to help Catholics, particularly Cradle Catholics, see the beauty in their faith which converts see and appreciate the fullness of truth which the Church has held and guarded throughout history. It is her desire all Catholics fall as much in love with Jesus as she is, and love the Church to a greater capacity than they could imagine.
Amelia taught PRE for 4-6 grade at St. Mary Catholic Church in Bolivar, Tennessee from 2014-2016. She served as Youth Director at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Somerville, Tennessee in 2017-2018. She now teaches 7th grade (1st year Confirmation) PRE class at St. Philip. She's also a writer and frequent podcast guest on Our Warpath.
She has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Francis de Sales, St. Padre Pio and St. Maximilian Kolbe.
To contact Amelia for speaking inquiries at conferences, retreats, or parishes contact her via social media on Facebook (Amelia Monroe Carlson), Twitter (@2_catholic ) or send a text to: (731)518-6923.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliamcarlson
Twitter: @2_catholic (Catholic ministry account)
Twitter personal account: @ameliamcarlson
