Are you mis-living your life? Most people never consider it as a possibility, but it’s true. You can mis-live your life. Let it sink in. It is possible. 

The saints are great examples of people who didn’t mis-live their lives. It doesn’t mean they were perfect all the time. A well-lived life is built the same way a mis-lived life is built—one

choice at a time. Every choice builds character or erodes character.

Albert of Louvain was from a wealthy and influential family. It would have been easy for him to focus on power and pleasure, but he had his eyes on God. From the age of 12 he prepared to become a priest. When the city of Jerusalem fell, he became a knight and volunteered to go on crusade. Ultimately, he was not sent to fight and was soon appointed as a bishop. Though his reputation was sterling and his faith was undeniable, his appointment stirred up the resentment of political rivals. One day, three German knights invited him for a ride outside the city of Reims . . . and killed him in a vicious attack. 

Albert wasn’t expecting to experience death the way he did, but he was ready when it came. Ready because he had decided to serve God in all the decisions of his life—big and small.

None of us can avoid our appointment with death. Death comes to us all eventually. And when death approaches, the person you have become meets the person you could have been. This is a humbling encounter. Don’t wait for it. Meet with the person you are capable of becoming for a few minutes each day. The more time you spend in these meetings the less you will fear death. Use your thoughts, words, choices, and actions to close the gap between who you are today and who you are capable of being. This is the path that leads to a deeply fulfilling life.

We live or mis-live our lives one choice at a time. Some choices are full of goodness and life, others are nothing but death and destruction. Some choices create chaos and confusion, others give birth to clarity and order. Build your tomorrow with your choices today. Envision the person God created you to become and build toward that vision of your future self—one choice at a time.

You can mis-live your life. If you pause for long enough to think about it, if you allow the possibility to sink in, it is disturbing, terrifying actually. But here is the beautiful truth—you can shift the momentum of your life with a single choice. Begin today!



Feast Day: November 21 (The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Feast Day Shared By: Blessed Mary of Jesus Good Shepherd

Symbols: Three Swords

Canonized: August 9, 1613

Canonized By: Pope Paul V