Lord, teach me to give and not to count the cost.”
St Ignatius of Loyola
St Ignatius of Loyola was a founder of The Society of Jesus. He is best known for developing the Spiritual Exercises, a popular tool for discernment in making life decisions.
I wanted to reflect on St. Ignatius’ quote, “Lord, teach me to give and not count the cost,” because I think it is important to have and also live our faith. Faith in action means to serve with humility and to not look for validation from others or our Heavenly Father. We can never repay the debt for mercy we have received. I feel called to do my part to give my best to love and serve without strings attached. In my humanness there are times when I should give, but I fail, or I give begrudgingly. I am working to progress learning to love with more purity so I can give without counting the cost.
Lent is usually a struggle for me. I don’t know why, but it seems like the ways that I normally do OK become worse. This Lent is special because as we await the resurrection, I made a big move in my life–changing jobs and moving out of the state. It has been a scary experience but one that I know God is calling me to. It’s been a good reminder of how dependent I am on Him and how much faith is a true gift because it means we are never alone.
I also know that fear is an opportunity to grow in faith, hope, and love. I appreciate the weakness because it allows for mercy and to grow more deeply in faith. I am learning the importance of suffering and how there is no way to grow without it. I am working on more willingly and quietly embracing all forms of suffering for the value they add to the growth of my soul.
Julie Mouton is a social worker who has a passion for helping others. She appreciates faith, family, friends, and the simple pleasures in life. Julie has two dogs – aka ”double trouble”— that she calls the woof pack. She is grateful for everything that she has, and the one thing that she does count is the many blessings God has granted her.
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