ebook cover (dragged) Where I Belong by Stephanie Gulya

After blogging for a year and a half on the topic of being a Catholic woman (and after almost 24 years of actually being a Catholic woman), I have come to the conclusion that the topic of fatherhood is a sore subject for almost every woman. This, of course, is not to say that there aren’t women out there who have great relationships with their earthly fathers and no problem at all relating to God the Father, but through my experiences, I have found that a majority of women (Catholic or not) need healing when it comes to their father.

The root of this goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden. It’s kind of shame that they keep getting blamed for everything, but Original Sin is quite a hurtle to get past. When Adam and Eve chose to eat of the forbidden fruit, this was a slap in the face to the Fatherhood of God.

Many people will say that the first sin was pride, which I will not dispute, but I have read many other sources which talk about Original Sin and the Father. Adam and Eve were basically saying that they didn’t trust their Father to provide for them. They thought they could do it better themselves (pride). They rejected the love that the Father had for them, and we are now inclined to do the same. We inherit this mistrust of the Father from our first parents. And, in the end, doesn’t every sin have the same root: we are trying to get something for ourselves, to provide for ourselves because we don’t trust the Father to provide?

In addition to all of this, we often find that our relationship with our earthly fathers leaves something to be desired. Our earthly fathers are meant to be an image of our Heavenly Father. Through our human relationships, we are supposed to learn something about our relationship with God. The plan was that earthly fathers would love us in such a way that led us to the Source of that love: God the Father Himself. With Original Sin, our relationship with God the Father was distorted, as was our relationship with our earthly fathers. Many of us have been left with wounds by our fathers or by father figures in our lives. This was not how God intended for us to live.

My insights into fatherhood, both the human and divine side, have led me to one very important conclusion: healing is needed! In the spirit of Easter, we should rejoice because even though sin entered the world and we have been wounded over and over again, the Father sent His only Son to bring us redemption and healing! Brokenness is not the end of the line. We are not meant to live in fear and hurt. We are meant to live in glory! And that live of glory can begin here on earth!

Over the past few months, I have been working on a very special project surrounding all of these insights. The Lord has provided a lot of healing in my life on the topic of fatherhood and I wanted to find a way to share the joy I have found. Tomorrow, Monday, April 15th, marks the release of my first eBook entitled Where I Belong: 30 Daily Reflections to Lead Catholic Women Closer to the Heart of the Father. This book, in addition to being the fulfillment of a childhood dream to write and publish a book, is my way of sharing all I have learned in a way which I am sure can benefit every woman. Each day, I provide a Scripture passage, a written reflection and a guided prayer exercise to help you to dive deeper into your relationship with God the Father. The normal cost of the eBook is $8.00, but since Lisa Hendey has been such a blessing in helping me with my blogging career, I am offering it to all of you for $5.00. To get the discounted price, all you have to do is enter the code “catholicmom” once you go to the cart to checkout. Click here to learn more about or to order the book.

Sample relfection

Whether you buy the book or not, the most important thing I want you to take away from this article is that you are a beloved daughter of the Father. For some of you, this might be an affirmation and reminder of a truth you already live in, and for others, it may hurt your heart to think about this truth. But, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, the Truth remains the same and there is always more to learn about being His daughter. Rejoice with me that we have a Father who loves us enough to sacrifice everything to bring us back to Him….FOREVER! Rejoice in the message of Easter!

May God be praised!

Where I Belong: 30 Daily Reflections to Lead Catholic Women Closer to the Heart of the Father

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Gulya