By Joe LaCombe
For the longest time, there was a clear separation between the various aspects of my life. I had work, family, coaching, social activities, a church ministry here and there, and Mass on Sundays. All of it with clear boundaries. I thought everything was under control.
But as the stress piled on, largely with work, that stress and unfulfillment began to boil over and spill into those other areas of my life. I struggled with who I was, and who I thought I was supposed to be. The control I thought I had was gone, and I found myself being controlled by the very things that I thought defined me. I saw this brick wall in front of me – with my career, with where I was going in life.
I saw my beautiful family, my wife who I adore and my son who I am trying to raise in a world that attacks men, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to balance all that, while attempting to go a different direction in my career, a direction of uncertainty.
I was searching for answers, yearning for truth and meaning in all these areas of life, yet I was trying to do it all on my own. But then I realized that the answer was right there in front of me, and it was nothing of my doing. All it took was a lot of faith… and some courage. The courage to make the choices to integrate my faith into all aspects of my life, across those boundaries.
Being involved with the Courageous program over the last year, it’s given me a chance to work with some incredible men and be part of a community of men where we feed off one another, all learning how to be more courageous in growing and living our faith, inspiring one another to be better, challenging each other.
I’ve realized how my faith transcends all these boundaries in my life, and when I involve God in my daily routine, whether it’s a family prayer before leaving the house, simple prayers throughout the day, taking a break to journal, going to Mass and/or Confession over lunch, a rosary on the commute home, or just simply having some silent time – the balance seems to always come, no matter the circumstance.
When we make time for God, we have time for everything else. When we focus our life on God, life comes more into focus. All these little things make a difference, helping us to see the blessings God provides, how we can serve and include Him in all we do, and how we can actually live our faith.
This is what Courageous is all about, and this is the goal of Courageous on 9.8.18 – for all the men of Seton to learn how to say Yes! to the question, Do you have the courage to fully live your faith?
Join us and Be Courageous on 9.8.18!