Better Not Dwell on It

Amanda Lawrence shares the fruit of insight from her recent Marian Consecration. 

At God’s invitation, I recently reconsecrated myself to Mary on July 16. For those unfamiliar, a Marian Consecration is a 33-day prayer journey leading to total devotion to Jesus through Mary. I’ve done it twice. It definitely gets better with experience. It wasn’t lost on me that my feast day landed on our Lady of Mount Carmel both times.  

I opted to pray this Marian Consecration with the Hallow app guided by Sister Miriam James Heidland. She graciously navigates the recent and popular text 33 Days to Morning Glory from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. However, this is less about that journey and more about my fruitful discoveries.  

Learning about Mount Carmel

Besides the prescribed prayers, I wanted to earn the brown scapular I had my eye on after I made my consecration. So I delved deep into Mount Carmel’s history, tracing it back to the Old Testament. I realized it’s the setting of one of my favorite biblical accounts: Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  

According to 1 Kings, Elijah was God’s last remaining prophet after Jezebel slaughtered the others. Confident in the God of Israel, Elijah boldly declared a competition to determine who the true God is. The 450 false priests spent hours calling their god while Elijah taunted and heckled them.  

The fun and games ended when, at Elijah’s request, God arrived and rained down fire, incinerating lingering doubts. Victorious Elijah captured and slaughtered the heathen prophets, and it’s all: “Hail the Conquering Hero” for about five minutes. Then Elijah hit the streets, running from the murderous Jezebel, who desperately wanted vengeance. His Divine encounter ended. It was time to face reality.  

Elijah couldn’t bask in God’s fiery grace. He had to go. The man ran so hard he collapsed under a broom tree, where he promptly begged for death. No longer the heckler, he lay down and prayed until he passed out, probably from exhaustion. 

Enter an angel with his Divine Dash order. The angel gives Elijah a hearth cake and a water jug. Elijah nibbles and resumes wallowing, but the angel insists he eats more and replenishes his strength for the journey ahead. He obeys and walks for forty days. 

Making the connection

It wasn’t until this past August, on the nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Times, that I understood the connection between those stories. I attended Mass twice that weekend and listened to Father Mike Schmitz's homily afterward to have it spelled out: those events happened back-to-back.  

This was meaningful to me, as earlier that week, I completed another draft of a project I’d spent years writing. It’s still far from finished, but it’s further along than before. The best part was being deep in the writing zone for days. I furiously raced to the finish line until there was nothing more to say. I felt great — for about five minutes.  

Then reality hit. I had to work in the morning and neglected laundry and groceries. I began my week at an exhausted deficit. That nagging voice whispering that I'd wasted my time scribbling away got louder. So God reminded me I don’t have time to dwell on it.  

The burst of creativity was so clearly a fruit from my Marian Consecration. How could anyone consider that time wasted? God holds my life in His hand. My Man is sovereign. And to make matters better, Mary is in Jesus’ ear on my behalf.  

Why should I worry? Why should I ever fear or dwell on anything when I can snuggle up against the notion that God has me? I trust Him completely. He’s never let me down. He’s had my back this whole time.  

When I surrender, He comes through. I need only pray, “Lord, take this away. It’s too much.” Sometimes He does, effortlessly, in ways I can’t even imagine. My falling into the occasional despair first only proves that even though I know how to navigate temptation, I’m not always successful in practice. The enemy still sneaks up on me. 

I don't have time to dwell on it

But, like Elijah, I don’t have time to dwell either way. And that’s the lesson I re-learned on that far-from-ordinary August Sunday. Sometimes, we’re on top! Other times, we’re wallowing beneath a broom tree, unwisely praying, "Enough, Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors" (1 Kings 19:4b).

When that happens, it’s best to sleep it off, hydrate, eat a snack, and get back at it in Jesus’ name. As Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8:36 reminds us, “But those who pass me by do violence to themselves; all who hate me love death.”  

I know firsthand that it can be easier said than done to stop dwelling and surrender everything to God. That’s where Mary’s intercession comes in. Her abundant grace supports and encourages us through our daily struggles. Thanks, Mom! 

Future saints, I pray you’ll consider embarking on a Marian Consecration prayer journey. It’s one of the most fruitful things you could ever do or do again if it's been a while. But don’t take my word for it. Prayerfully try it for yourself! 

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Copyright 2024 Amanda Lawrence
Images: Canva