Ignatius Loyola was founder of the Society of Jesus (more commonly known as the Jesuits). As a young man, he was very much like what many young men are today: vain and with aspirations of fame and glory.
He was wounded in battle in 1521 and while recuperating at his family’s castle, was given books about the life of Jesus and a book about the lives of saints.
Though he preferred to read books about knights and battles and such, he was intrigued by the stories of Saint Francis and Saint Dominic and wondered if he could be one.
Not long after, he dedicated his life to God and the church and made dramatic changes. He gave up his life as a soldier, adopted ascetic practices, and later formed the Society of Jesus.
His spiritual imperfections of ambition and pride, over the course of a lifetime, would be molded into something that served the church. These imperfections were liabilities in the context of his desire to become a lady’s man and knight, but great assets when serving the greater good.
Similarly, we live imperfect lives in imperfect circumstances with imperfect motivations and imperfect characters.
But these imperfections do not have to stop you from contributing something wonderful to the world. Your imperfections may even become assets in other contexts.
So don’t fight them.
Like Ignatius, your imperfections may lead you down the path of sainthood.
Stay tuned for my next post in which I announced the Society of Dale.