WOMEN IN ACTION

There are many times when we tend to make ourselves the victim. Just because something isn’t exactly how we want it, we have an urge to point the finger at someone else and blame them for what’s happening, or in some cases, what’s not happening.

I used to do this a lot. I would say I wanted a closer family. I would say I wanted that mother-daughter relationship every other girl had. I would say I wanted my parents to watch my games. I would say I wanted to bond with my brother. Point is, I would say a lot of things, but never actually did anything to work for it.

I thought of myself as the victim. Since I am the youngest in my family, I thought ‘Why should I have to put in the effort if they’re not? Shouldn’t they be working towards making this better?’ I made plenty of excuses for why I couldn’t be the one to change things. My age, my dependency on others, my intellectual proneness, etc.

I had been thinking about this situation and how things needed to change for a while already. But I was still stuck on the concept that everyone around me needed the change, not me. Then I came to a sudden realization, it hit me like meteorite. It was I that needed the change. I was so fixed in the idea that I was the one doing good, and they were the ones doing bad. But in fact, we were just alike. I had grudges I never let go of. I had anger inside me that I tried to hide from myself. I had all this extra negativity within me, and I didn’t even see it.

It wasn’t until I let go of all this that I was finally able to open myself completely to God, unlike I had before. I started looking at my wrong-doings, instead of other’s. I’m a work in progress, and I know there are always ways to improve oneself. Things have dramatically changed in my family, and I know they will only continue changing for the better.

Lily Torneros – Pledge from Houston, TX