Angels Among Us

[Our first post (of many I hope!) from the heart of another woman; sharing her experience as woman.]

Last week, I shared about the need to be loved; every young woman has an ache to be cherished by someone.  To continue on that thought, our powerful feminine emotions can be a great asset to who we are…or they can hinder us.  That deep emotional need to be loved can lead a young lady to throw herself into a relationship (even if it is not a healthy one).  She wants so badly to be in love that she affixes her emotions to a young man that doesn't know what love is either.  Her heart is soon entangled within an immature, broken relationship, but she doesn’t see a way to get free.  Here is one such story, and the angel who helped her break the cycle.  This one is from Ana DeLeon.  She has her Masters from the John Paul II Institute of Marriage and Family Studies, and currently lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter.

“If someone would have asked me at the age of 20 where and what I would be doing with my life at 29, I certainly would not have told them married for almost three years, have a 2 year old (hoping for #2), all while praying for the generational sins of our families to be broken – what?! Really?!!

Luckily for me, I met a wonderful woman in college, my mentor, who changed my life forever.  She gently helped me break away from a broken relationship, and then basically revealed to me, by her actions, God’s love.  Yes, for the first time in my “adult” life, I came to understand and to know authentic love – what it really means to be loved by someone for who you are, made in the image and likeness of Christ.  It took one question to make me realize that I really had no real desire or love for this person: “What do you love about him?” regarding my broken relationship.  I couldn’t think of a single thing!!  It was the web of lies and false love that had us “locked in chains,” as I like to say.  


I see so many young girls today who swear that they are “in love,” but they have not really experienced life enough nor know who they are wholeheartedly...So how can they truly love?  I knew that I was cutting myself short.  What I didn’t know (but would soon learn) is that God had a better plan for me.  It took me a while to realize that, but with the help of my mentor (my guardian angel, as I like to call her), I came face to face with God.  


As I prayed, went to church, kept away from things that I knew were hindering my spiritual walk with God, (and again prayed!), I fell in love with Christ!  I had never experienced Christ to this capacity – ever! My heart was growing and searching for more.  Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to Theology of the Body, and let me just say, I was never the same after that!  I had an open heart and mind, and I was able to hear the truth in the words of Pope John Paul II.  It’s what I had been waiting for.  It’s what I want for every woman and man to know: why we were created male and female and what does the marital union of man and woman say to us about God and His plan for our lives.

Whatever plan you think you may have for your life, forget about it. God has something even greater planned out for you!  I never thought that part of my life’s mission is to pray for the end of the generational sin in my family, but it is.  That’s not my only mission, but one I hold close in my heart.  My story is unique because, well, I’m Mexican-American, so you might assume that I come from a strong Catholic background, but I don’t.  My families, from both parents, have suffered tremendously in the past, and those sad realities still lurk in the background of their lives.  There’s so much more to say about that, so we’ll leave that for another day.  However, I’m grateful for all the experiences in life, because without them I wouldn’t be who I am today.  I wouldn’t have experienced God’s mercy and grace as I did.     

I’m married to an amazing man who also seeks God’s heart more than anything else; his love and passion for God makes me fall in love with him more and more every day!  It’s an everyday thing, but we understand that as long as we keep God first in our marriage, then our love can only grow from there.  And has it grown!  (Yet, again, that’s another story in it of itself!  Let me just say, that the first two years of marriage are the hardest!  Those who say they are the easiest, or call it the “honeymoon years,” are mistaken!) 


We have a beautiful little girl, who embodies in every way, the fruit of our prayers, the beginning of a holy family in our own little family tree.  That is our prayer and it begins with us!  I remind myself of this every day, and I pray that God keeps this always in front of me, so that our family can begin to transform and repair the generations present, past and, future."    -  Ana DeLeon

What a beautiful story!  Thank you, Ana, for sharing with us!  What wonderful reminders to first seek God to fill our love-need and second, if we see another woman (or young woman) in need of help, be her angel!  Only then will she be able to live a life in the fullness of God's grace and follow the path He calls her down.

God has not only given us a gift of womanhood in all our complexity, but He has given us each other!  Our dearest friends, other women who understand the female heart and through love, can resonate truth within it.  Let us not give up on the younger generation!  They may seem hopeless at times, but everything aside – she is still a girl, looking to be loved.

Well, that's my view of it and I welcome yours!  Please comment below!

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