Be kind to yourself
As I came to the end of the rosary early one morning, I realized that my fingers on the beads didn't match the words I was praying. In other words, I came to the end of the rosary before I came to the end of my prayers! I have no idea what happened (maybe it was too early in the morning!), but I just finished up and moved on. As we mature in faith, it becomes easier not to be a stickler when such things happen. For instance, if life gets in the way and I simply cannot (or do not) get my quiet prayer time in as I ought, I just move with the Holy Spirit in the moment and resist the temptation to torment myself. I mean, God surely wouldn't condemn me for it, right? If you find that you berate yourself when you imperfectly carry out your prayers--or whatever it is you do--try to be more forgiving. My husband and I often joke because I will say, "I feel guilty" about whatever, and he'll kindly remind me, "There's always something to feel guil...