Hoping to Find my True Purpose

 “It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives.” St. John Paul II

I have always been a people pleaser. Years ago, I did a personality test and the result was that I am a peacemaker. This makes sense. In order to avoid conflict, I please everyone. The problem with this is that while I may be pleasing others, I am leaving myself out. Many times I have sacrificed my own goals in order to help others fulfill theirs. 

One of the things I’m realizing during this 3-month sabbatical that I’m taking from social media is that I have not always been true to myself. God created me for a purpose. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminds me: “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” If I’m necessary to God, He must have a mission for me. If I am always focused on pleasing others, I will never discover what God’s true purpose for me is. I am on a journey to discover what God wants from me at this moment in time. If I get distracted with constantly doing what other people want, instead of what God wants, I lose focus and therefore I lose sight of my own mission. 

Our purpose can change over time as our life evolves. When I was in school, my purpose was to study so I could graduate. Then my purpose became to get married and have a family. My children and husband then became my primary purpose. But now, my children are all grown up and living their life. My husband is still by my side, but he’s not my sole focus. I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him, but I know that he’s not my main purpose. I can feel deep inside that God has a bigger mission for me. 

I am turning 60 in a few days, and I have been asking myself, “what is my true purpose?” I know I only have a limited amount of time left here on earth so I want to make the most of my remaining years. I would like to leave my mark somehow, and leave my little corner of the world better than I found it. But in order to do so, I have to unite my goals to God’s plans for me. I hope that with the help of the Holy Spirit, I can respond to God with the confidence that what He desires for me is what my true purpose should be.

I hope that by taking this time off from all the social media distractions, I discover my true purpose. I know I’m not going to find it sitting around doing nothing. But hopefully, spending this time journaling and reading spiritual meditations, will allow me to reconnect with my inner self, and it will help me to see more clearly where God is leading me. 

I will probably continue pleasing others because it is who I am, but I am going to concentrate now in pleasing the One that really matters, and that is God. I know that if I align my goals with His plans for me, I will find my true purpose, and my mission will flourish without me getting exhausted or discouraged during the journey. And in the process, I hope I learn to always be true to myself.

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

La abuelita de algodon

 ”Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor Roosevelt

There is a little old lady that I see on most of my morning walks around the golf course. She’s usually standing outside her house with her walker. She has the sweetest smile on her face. She always tells me “Buenos Días.” I have baptized her with the nickname “la abuelita de algodón” (the cotton grandma). The reason is that she is always dressed in white and her hair is the color of cotton. I love seeing her. Her smile brightens up my day. 

Even though I don’t know anything about the cotton grandma, not even her name, seeing her gives me hope. She must be around ninety years old which means that she has seen a lot of heartache in her lifetime. She was alive during World War II, the Cold War, the Great Depression, the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, the assassination of President Kennedy, Watergate, and many of the horrors that took place during the twentieth century. She’s Hispanic, so she has to have endured at least one exile. Only God and her know how many tragedies she has experienced in her personal life. And yet, she’s always smiling. She has perfected the art of smiling with her eyes since she still wears a mask.

She reminds me a lot of my own grandmother. Physically, they don’t look anything alike. My grandmother was tall, she’s short. My grandmother dyed her hair, she doesn’t. My grandmother never wore pants, she always wears white pants. But there is something in her eyes that makes me think of my grandmother. I think it’s the kindness and wisdom that I see when she looks at me, smiles, and says “Buenos Días.”

My grandmother was born in 1910. She was a little girl during the Spanish flu. She went through her first exile in 1924 when she left her native Spain and moved to Cuba. She experienced two world wars, the Cuban Revolution when President Batista was overthrown from power, and then Communism. She had her second exile in 1972 when she returned to Spain, and her final one in 1974 when she moved to the United States. But through it all, she never lost her joy. She always had a kind word to share or a wise story to tell. If she was still alive, we would compare notes between the 1918 pandemic and the current one. I can close my eyes and picture her wearing a mask as an eight-year-old girl in northern Spain. 

Even though most of us are experiencing some kind of hardship either because of the pandemic, the economic crisis, illness, unemployment, or whatever we are going though, the old people in our lives should provide us with a sense of hope. They have seen tragedy at its worst. They have had to abandon their homelands. They have lived through war and disease. And yet, they still find a reason to smile. My own grandmother has been gone for almost 24 years, but I think she has sent me “la abuelita de algodon” so I can think of her every time I see her. This gives me hope that there is a brighter tomorrow waiting for all of us. I am full of hope that just like the cotton grandma and my own grandmother, I will find the strength to cope with whatever tomorrow brings.

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Disconnecting to Reconnect

 “The more in harmony with yourself you are, the more joyful you are and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality - it connects you to reality.” Paulo Coelho

I have decided to take a much needed sabbatical from social media. We don’t realize it but social media can become toxic. Even though I try to concentrate on just positive posts, it’s difficult to keep the negative completely out. I’ve been feeling lately like something is out of line in my life, and even though I’m not going to place the blame 💯 % on social media, it’s definitely not helping me. I’m spending way too much time with my eyes glued to my phone, surfing the social media pages. I hope that by disconnecting, I can reconnect with the things and the people that truly matter. 

Most of us use social media for one of three reasons:

The first one is to try to show the world that what we believe in is the right thing, and if you don’t agree with me then you are wrong. This could be about anything: religion, politics, the way we deal with the pandemic, gun control, abortion, how to bring up our kids, etc. The problem with using social media platforms to try to convince others that my point of view is the right one, it’s that since we are not seeing the other person face to face, we feel empowered to say things that we normally would not say to their face. We are not going to change anyone’s mind this way, therefore all we are accomplishing is getting angry and alienating others against us.

The second one is to show off. We share what an amazing trip we just had or what a beautiful wedding we attended or the awards that our kids received in school or… We show in social media all the amazing things that are happening in our life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but the problem is that it gives everyone else a sense that my life is perfect when in reality no one’s life is completely perfect. We only show what we want the rest of the world to see. We share the photos of our idyllic trip, but if we had a huge fight during our trip or we caught a horrible stomach virus that made part of our trip not so great, we don’t share that. If our kids got an F or a detention, we don’t share that. We only mention the honor rolls and the straight As, to the point that it seems like everyone has perfect kids. Social media makes us look at others through rose colored glasses, and life is not always rosy.

The third reason is to share positive posts, jokes or prayers. This is actually my favorite. It’s neutral. Jokes make everyone laugh. We can all use some positivity in our lives. And when we are empowered to ask for prayers, it means that we really need them. But most people are too private to share their pain and suffering on social media. I for one was brought up under the assumption that nobody cares about anyone else’s problems so it’s best to keep them to myself. There is a gap within all of us between joy and pain. We all experience moments of happiness and moments of pain. Lately, this gap within me has become too wide. It’s time to close the gap, and I’m placing all my hope on this summer sabbatical. 

Therefore, for the next three months, I’m going to hit the “pause” bottom on my social media accounts. I will continue to share my blog posts when I’m inspired to write, but that’s it. I will not read or reply to any posts or comments. If you want to reach out, do so the old fashioned way. Phone calls or messages are welcome, but more than anything, I need your prayers so that I can once again feel the inner joy that has been evading me somehow. I hope this summer sabbatical will allow me to disconnect so I can reconnect with myself and God, that it will help me to focus more on my marriage and my family, and that it will help me find the insight that I’m seeking as to why I’m feeling a little out of line. I hope that you keep me in your prayers, and I promise to keep you in my prayers too. 🙏🥰🙏

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Clinging to Hope in the Midst of Pain

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Ellie was excited because she was going to read a verse at her church on Sunday. Now, instead, her father is trying to find the right words to explain to Ellie’s four sisters that Ellie is never coming home. How on earth do you explain to four little girls that their ten year-old sister has gone to heaven?

Ellie was one of the nineteen children killed in the horrible Uvalde tragedy this week. “The sweetest girl you’ve ever had the chance to meet. And I had the honor of being her father,” said Steven Garcia while in tears on a Today show interview. “Ellie loved basketball, TikTok and the colors pink and purple. She hoped to be a cheerleader and had already begun planning her quinceañera.” The family said she had already picked out her dress, even though it was five years away, and her father said they will buy it and hang it in her room.

Amerie Jo enjoyed drawing, performing science experiments and making people laugh. She wanted to become a YouTube star. “She was a real good student. Very playful, very silly,” dad Alfred Garza III said. “She was a perfect daughter.”

Garza went to the school when he heard about the shootings. He waited six hours for ten-year-old Amerie Jo, who was his only child. While he waited, he offered solace to kids who got out of the building. “They were just overwhelmed and crying, so as many as I could, I said to them: ‘Hey, do you know your mom, dad’s phone number? Let’s call them. Let’s have them know you’re OK,’” he said in the Today show interview. 

While he was waiting to hear news about his own little girl, he helped to ease other parents’ pain by letting them know that their child was alive. He pushed his own fears aside to offer those scared children a tiny glimmer of hope. 

No child should endure that sort of anguish, especially at such a tender age. It is hard enough for an adult to come to terms with such a gaping loss, let alone little ones, who are far too young and innocent to make any sense of how cruel life can be. 

The thought of these families’ suffering in the most agonizing of manners is just heartbreaking. How can we cling to hope in the midst of so much pain? The only way I can think of is by grabbing onto God. 

I have met many parents on my earthly journey that have lost a child. God-incidentally, I just met two of those parents at the beach today. I was in the water talking to my hubby in Spanish. A couple nearby said to us: “Que rica está el agua hoy.” (The water is great today). We spent the next few minutes talking to them, and as we were leaving we introduced ourselves. When they told us their names, something clicked in my memory. I asked them if they were associated with “Hermanos al Rescate” (Brothers to the Rescue). Sure enough, their son Mario was one of the four pilots killed back in 1996 when their plane was shot down by the Castro regime in international airspace. He was only 24-years-old, the youngest of the four. How do you recover from losing a child so tragically? You don’t. But you can keep going with God’s help. Otherwise you would just crumble. 

I pray to God for the people of Uvalde, especially those families that lost a loved one. I pray for a hope that brings them healing. 

Please Lord, take their grief, fear and suffering in your capable hands. Place them near your heart; care for them, transform them—and us—while you’re at it, because we just don’t understand. How long, O Lord? How long will this last? When will you put an end to the suffering in our world?

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Happy Easter

 “The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one ‘great Sunday.’ These are the days above all others in which the Alleluia is sung.” US Conference of Catholic Bishops 

If I were to wish you a happy Easter today, you would probably think that I was a little cuckoo. This is exactly what happened to our priest. He went to Publix and he told the cashier “Happy Easter.” He was dressed in regular clothes so she had no idea that he was a priest. She told him that he was a bit late in wishing her a happy Easter, to which he replied: “I’m not late. I’m Catholic.” She told him that it didn’t matter, Easter had already passed whether he was Catholic or Protestant. He took this as an opportunity for a teaching moment. He explained to her that we Catholics don’t celebrate Easter for just one day, we celebrate it for 50 days. Lent lasts 40 days, Easter lasts 50 days. How awesome is that. We have an entire Easter season that concludes on Pentecost, which happens to be derived from the Greek word “pentecoste” meaning fiftieth.

Why is Easter so important for us? A few reasons:

First, without Easter we wouldn’t have Catholicism. If Jesus had died but had not resurrected, we probably wouldn’t have even heard about Him. We would be Jewish or Muslims or Buddhists, but definitely not Catholics. Christianity would not exist because it began with Christ. He would have been just another prophet but not as popular as He is. The reason why we worship Him is not because He died. The reason why we follow Him and still talk about Him 2000 years later is because He resurrected. 

Second, without Easter we wouldn’t have Christmas. Yes, that’s right. Christmas is not about the gifts or shopping. It’s not about the tree or the decorations. It’s not about Santa or the reindeers. The reason why we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus was born and resurrected. If He had only been born but had not resurrected, we wouldn’t have Christmas. 

Third, Easter gives us hope in the promise of the victory. If Jesus had not resurrected, we all would be terrified of dying. I know many people that are still very much scared of dying, even though they are Catholics. If you are one of them, I ask you: “Why? What are you afraid of?” Jesus conquered death for all of us. By resurrecting and ascending to heaven fourty days later, He left us the promise of the victory over death. Death is not the end, it’s only the beginning. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience here on earth for just a few years. We are on a journey and our destination is heaven. We have no reason to fear death. We have to look at death as the door that will allow us entrance into eternal life.

Sometimes I ask myself: “What will Heaven be like?” I picture it as a beautiful garden, full of flowers and all types of animals. The animals are not dangerous, they are all friendly, even the lions and the tigers. If Heaven has a scent, I hope it smells like chocolate, since in my imaginary Heaven there will not be any food. We will be nourished by love, not by physical food. I have often dreamt of my arrival to Heaven. All the people I have known in this lifetime who have left before me will be standing at the gates of Heaven to welcome me and hug me. At the end of this very long receiving line, the King and the Queen of Heaven will be ready to greet me. What will I do when I’m in their presence? I think that I will fall on my knees and bow before them. But the Queen will grab me, hug me and tell me: “I am not your queen, I am your Mother. Welcome Home my dear child.” Then, she will introduce me to her Son: “This is my beloved Son who gave His life for you.” And I will hug the King of Heaven, and ask for His forgiveness. And in the most loving voice that I have ever heard, He will say to me: “Welcome Home dear Christy. I have known you and loved you since before you were born. Your sins have been forgiven. Come with me and I will show you the place I have prepared for you. It is called ‘Eternal Paradise.’ Here, you will never feel pain or anguish again. Here, you will only rejoice. Your tears will not be of sadness but of joy.” He will take me by the hand and lead me to my forever dwelling place, where angels and saints will be my neighbors. 

Whenever I feel anxious or sad, all I have to do is close my eyes and dream of this Heaven that lives in my imagination. I have no doubt that my dream does not even come close to the reality because I know that it will be infinitely better than my limited imagination. There is not the slightest wonder in my mind that Heaven exceeds the most amazing place that we have ever visited.

I am not afraid of death because of Easter. This does not mean that I want to die tomorrow. I hope I don’t. I hope I still have another 20, 30 or 40 years left on this journey so that I can enjoy time with my hubby, children and grandchildren. I hope I even get to meet my great-grandchildren. I am looking forward to traveling extensively once I retire. I have many plans and I hope to enjoy every single day that I have left here on earth to the fullest. But when my expiration date arrives, I will not be afraid. And I hope that you will not live with fear of dying. Hold onto the very real hope that Jesus left us with Easter: we are not alone, He loves us, and there is a future with Him that goes beyond death. We are an Easter people and Aleluya is our song.

We still have one week left before Pentecost Sunday, therefore we can still say outloud: “Happy Easter!!!”

Our Traditions: A Sense of Hope

“You shall build this altar of the Lord… and shall offer on it burnt offerings to your Lord, your God.” Deuteronomy 27:5 

When we gather together as a family to celebrate holidays or birthdays, I feel a sense of hope that the traditions that were passed down to us by our ancestors will live on through our descendants. For example, the tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve (or Nochebuena as we Cubans refer to it) was started by my ancestors long ago. Today, we still continue what they started… a traditional meal of pork, black beans, rice and yuca. Since our kids were born, we’ve added our own touch of fried sweet plantains to the meal. And because our youngest, Alex, was born on that day in 1994, we’ve added a birthday cake to the traditional dessert of “turrones.” When Alex was little, he thought that the whole Christmas Eve celebration was for him, until he realized that all his friends also celebrated Christmas Eve.

Recently, I was able to witness for the very first time another tradition: the blessing of a building “made by human hands for a sacred purpose,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski. The blessing of the Our Lady of Belen Chapel made me realize how blessed I am to be part of a tradition that is more than 2,000 years old, since many of our Catholic traditions were inherited from our Jewish ancestors.  

In Jewish tradition, a building is set aside for a sacred purpose by means of ritual and blessing. An altar becomes a divine instrument after consecration. During the dedication of the Belen Chapel, we began the celebration with a bare altar. The Archbishop anointed the altar with the same Chrism with which we were anointed at our baptisms and confirmations. In this way, he communicated to us, the faithful gathered there, that “as members of Christ’s Body, we too have been set aside for a sacred purpose.” The altar has always been mentioned in the Old Testament as a place reserved for offering sacrifice to God. By consecrating the altar, the Archbishop made a direct link between God and His people. 

Also, in a solemn way, four embers of incense were placed on the four corners of the the altar. These were lighted, and the altar was swaddled in the smoke of the incense. The smell of the incense permeated through the entire chapel, “reminding us that here God dwells with his people.” I could see the smoke drifting upwards, towards God, and I was reminded of a quote from Deuteronomy 27:5 “You shall build this altar of the Lord… and shall offer on it burnt offerings to your Lord, your God.” All the prayers that will be offered at the Belen Chapel, just like the incense, will rise up to God.

Another tradition that we inherited from our Jewish ancestors and which will now be offered as a sacrifice on this new sacred altar is the Eucharist. Yes, the Eucharist was instituted by Jesus Christ during the Passover meal with his disciples, a very Jewish tradition that the Jewish community still celebrates today. But this was prefigured many centuries earlier by the offering of bread and wine made by Melchizedek as a priest in thanksgiving for Abraham’s victory as mentioned in Genesis 14. As Archbishop Wenski said: “On this altar and in this chapel, the sacrifice of the New Covenant will be offered… When Christ was sacrificed on Calvary, sin was defeated. On this altar, that same sacrifice will be made present to us each day, so that his victory over sin, death, and the evil one, will also be ours.” This New Covenant comes to us directly out of the old Jewish covenant that God made with His people. We are His people, and it is through an understanding of that old covenant that we can appreciate Christ’s sacrifice and the privileges of our Catholic inheritance. 

I felt so proud of my Catholic heritage as I stood side by side with my mother celebrating the mass in that magnificent new chapel. In the words of Father Pedro Suarez: “This is beauty that makes the soul rise to God.” Yes, beauty made by very talented human hands. Like I told my friend Alina whose husband Jorge is the architect that designed the chapel, “he can retire now because this is his crowning project.” He definitely poured his heart and soul into it. As I stood there, I could definitely feel my soul, like the incense, rising up to God. 

As I looked around, I thought of my dad and how much he would have enjoyed standing inside this beautiful chapel of his Alma Mater. It reminded me of Father Willie’s words which were quoted by the archbishop in his homily: “Be assured, the chapel is not simply an echo of our past but a loud and crisp statement of an extraordinary future.” My dad attended Belen in Cuba, graduating in 1948. He must have prayed in the Belen chapel in Havana countless times. Now, his heirs, his grandsons who graduated from Belen in 2007 and 2013, will be able to enjoy a similar place of worship. The traditions that were started back in Cuba, where Belen alumni would get married in the chapel and return to baptize their children, will continue here in Miami. I hope one day I have the privilege of witnessing the baptism of one of my grandkids at the Belen Chapel, and who knows, maybe even a wedding. I can only hope. 

Our Lady of Belen, pray for us. 

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Praying for Hope and Courage

 “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.” Job 11:18-19

In order to get to my beach apartment, I have to cross a bridge. The bridge opens every thirty minutes at the quarter hour. If I am approaching the bridge at 4:45 pm, I hope there is no boat waiting so I don’t get stuck at the bridge. The process to open it and close can take a good ten minutes. I already know that the bridge operator won’t open the bridge until all the cars have stopped. There’s always the daring driver that will ignore the red light and the sound of the bells. If the gate is up, they just keep going. That takes courage. I have found myself in that situation. As I approach the bridge, the alarm goes off, the red lights start to blink, and the bells begin to sound. I have to make a decision in a split second: do I keep going or do I stop?

We all face situations in our life that contain a mix of hope and courage. We hope the situation works out in our favor, but sometimes it’s up to us to make the final decision, and that requires courage. All of life decisions are interconnected. Every action we take, no matter how small or how big, creates a ripple effect which makes a difference in our world. For example, during the Parkland school shooting, a young 15-year-old threw himself in front of a classroom door in an attempt to shield other students from flying bullets. His decision took courage and hope. Hope that he would survive and courage to place himself in the line of fire. His action saved the lives of twenty students. He was shot five times. He survived the bullets but was in the hospital for months, and has endured more than a dozen surgeries since the shooting took place in 2018. His heroic action, though, made a huge difference in the lives of those twenty students that he saved. In October 2021 during the trial of the shooter, that young hero was present. He was interviewed and his words reflect his deep hope and courage in the midst of incredible pain. He said that the fate of the shooter was up to God: “That’s not my decision. My decision is to be a better person and to change the world. I don’t want this to happen again.”

His heroic act of courage hit the newspapers, but most of the time, small, or even large acts of courage and kindness, go unnoticed. But if we look around us, they are there: a young but courageous pregnant mother who leaves her communist home country in the hope to reach the United States so that her unborn child can grow in a free country, and the kindness of a church group that comes together to provide everything that the baby will need but that the mother can’t afford to buy; a young girl who made bracelets to raise money to support healthcare workers during the pandemic; an ICU nurse that volunteered to be in Covid ICU rooms during the worst of the pandemic, even though that meant that she couldn’t see her family for almost a year, and she had to postpone her own wedding. And these are just a few examples of the unsung heroes that live amongst us, who put courage and hope above their own self-interests. They find hope and the courage to persevere in the midst of a world filled with chaos and confusion. 

We can surely learn a lot from them. When our crazy and chaotic world paralyzes us, and we feel there is nothing we can do, it is at that moment when we need to turn to our source of courage and hope. For me, that source is my faithful Lord. He provides the courage and hope that I need to face each day. If I start my day listening or reading the news about the political turmoil, the weak economy, and the sense of uncertainty surrounding future government mandates, and potential COVID variants, my sense of hope and courage will be chipped away. And that is why I choose instead to begin my day in prayer. Prayer for me is as necessary as water and sunlight. When I begin my day thanking God for all His blessings, this attitude of gratitude allows hope to flourish and grow in my life. Even though I cannot control the news, I can control my own decisions. And each day I choose to begin my day with an extra dose of hope and courage which I can only find in God. 

God drives away my fear. “Fear not” is one of the most repeated commands in the Bible. “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” Isaiah 41:13. “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things” Joel 2:21. "Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” Matthew 10:31. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom” Luke 12:32. If we place our trust in God, we should not fear. “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I will not be afraid.” Psalm 56:3-4.

This doesn’t mean that we have to face our fears alone with God. He places people in our lives to either help us or for us to help them. Connecting with a friend who gives us empathy helps us not to give into fear but to keep hoping in God. And if we know someone who is experiencing loss or pain, we should be ministers of God’s grace to that person. 

Returning to the bridge, should I stop when the alarm goes off and the red light starts to blink, or should I keep going? If I was a courageous person who didn’t care about the consequences, I would keep going. But I’ve been taught that a yellow light means slow down and a red light means stop. So as much as I hope that the bridge will not open, if I get caught by it, I must stop. Every action we take, no matter how small, creates a ripple effect which makes a difference in our world. Even though whether I stop at the bridge or keep going seems inconsequential in the scheme of bigger decisions, how I react at that moment is a reflection of how I will react when facing bigger issues. And I must confess that my initial reaction is to rush across the bridge to avoid the ten minutes of waiting. But then the responsible me kicks in, and I brake. And instead of looking at those ten minutes as wasted time, I turn them into prayer time. 

“Lord, thank You for stopping me at the bridge. You have your reasons for holding me back. You may be protecting me from something that I’m not even aware of. Help me to turn this delay into a reminder that You are the hope that causes me to face my problems with greater courage, more confidence, and faith. Fill me also with peace in my heart, and the faith that can help me to overcome my fears. You, Lord, are my hope. Help me to hope in You more, and to have the courage to follow You all the days of my life. Amen.”

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.