My two most recent posts have been about love & marriage. This post is kind of an extension of those two, but in a way that asks: What can marriage teach us about relationships with others — no matter what our marital status is?

Well, if you want to learn about marriage and how it applies to life, where better to turn than … a nun? Surprising, perhaps. But consider these words from Sister John Catherine:

You might be madly in love when you first get married, but you know a lot more about who you are and what marriage is 10, 20, 30 years in. It’s an everyday starting over, it’s an everyday deepening, recommitting, deciding again: I choose to love, I choose to give, I choose to pray.

She is speaking about marriage, yes; but even more, about life in the convent; but even more, about a life committed to God. Every healthy relationship requires a daily recommitment, to decide again: I choose to love you, my spouse. You, my child. You, my sister. You, my mentee. You, my neighbor. And yes, You, my God. And yes, even you, my “enemy.”

No healthy relationship makes it without this regular recommitment and daily decision. I have a pastor friend who recently got married, and he told me that every day he gets up and re-says his marriage vows and re-claims his ordination vows. Every day, he chooses to move forward, loving his wife and accepting his calling — today.

This guy is about 30 years my junior, but his example is wise beyond his years. No matter our life situation, no matter the relationships we are in or the vocations we have received, each day is a new opportunity to reclaim our calling as a child of God, trusting in Him and loving those He gives us. For each day we get to decide: Will I love God and those around me, today?

That’s a reminder I need, even today. How about you?