What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?

I’ve been reading—at the pace of someone waiting for a kettle to boil—a book called My God and My All by Elizabeth Goudge. It’s about St. Francis of Assisi, who was born at the tail end of the 12th century into a wealthy family in Assisi, Italy. He was the kind of boy who could charm the village, leading his friends with all the ease and enthusiasm you’d expect from someone destined to be a leader. He had everything going for him: the birthright, the gifts, the natural charisma. Despite his happy and easy youth, there was always something detached about Francis, who was struggling with a deep and hidden desire. Something more elusive, a longing that couldn’t be satisfied by the easy life that everyone else expected him to embrace.

That desire—whatever it was—drove him to found the Franciscan Order and live a life of absolute poverty and humility. He could have had it all. But instead, he chose the life of a beggar and to be a servant to even the most destitute, lepers. The poor, the powerful—he captivated everyone with his passion and his commitment to something greater. This is the kind of book you don’t race through. You take your time with it, savor it, because it’s about a man who constantly challenged not only himself but everyone around him to do more, to be more, to live for something that outlasts even the most impressive wealth or fame.

As sometimes happens, a mid-week homily by Father Francis Finnigan, a Passionist priest, dovetailed perfectly with “My God and My All”. Father Finnigan’s challenged us to be a giver, not a taker. Start any meeting or conversation by quietly reminding yourself of God’s presence. God is with you in the here and now, even if you’d prefer to pretend otherwise so you might as well bring him into the room in an intentional way. After the meeting, ask yourself: Did I bring something positive to the table? Did I leave that conversation having given something of value?

I know, I know—some of you are probably already rolling your eyes. All this self-reflection, especially when it comes with a spiritual spin, might feel uncomfortable, not relevant to how you live and just “too much”. But here’s the thing: If we don’t dig a little deeper than the surface-level interactions, we might never discover the really important stuff—the kind of richness that sticks around long after the meeting is over, the kind that truly counts.

With the new year already rolling along, maybe it’s time to dip your toe into this whole self-reflection thing and see where you land on life’s equation: Are you adding something meaningful, or just taking up space?