Victorious Secret. Laura Mary Phelps

5: The “What Is My Purpose?” Battle

       Chapter 6: The Battle of Finding Rest in the Mess

       Chapter 7: The “If Only I Had This, Life Would Be Perfect” Battle

       Chapter 8: The “Too Busy for God” Battle

       Chapter 9: The “Really, God, This Is My Calling?” Battle

       Chapter 10: The “It’s Not Fair” Battle

       Chapter 11: The “Where the Heck Are You, God?” Battle

       Chapter 12: The Battle of Boredom

       Chapter 13: The “It’s Okay, God, I’ve Got This” Battle

       Chapter 14: The Battle of Trusting in His Plan

       Chapter 15: The “Can I Still Be Me if I’m Trying to Be Holy?” Battle

       Foreword

       “And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross.”

      — Saint Catherine of Siena

      Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. The day-to-day battles that intersect the life of a daughter of God make binge-watching Netflix very appealing. Many women settle for superficiality and a life of comfort. Not Laura Phelps. This warrior mama is most definitely not standing on the sidelines. She’s in the thick of the battle, each and every day.

      This is why I listen to Laura’s advice. Quite honestly, I don’t want to hear platitudes or principles from someone who doesn’t understand what it’s like to be face down in the mud and still choose to get back up and keep going. Laura knows what she’s talking about, and this girl has got both grit and wisdom. Both those things come to us in spades in the pages of Victorious Secret. She has lived these truths — she has applied them first herself, and only passes on to us what works.

      Here’s my favorite thing: she does it all with the best humor. No matter how dire things might get, Laura can frame it in a way that makes you laugh. This is so important! We take ourselves so seriously … too seriously. The ability to laugh at ourselves makes such a difference. The gift of being able to laugh with Laura is like a turbo boost of hope and energy. Personally, Laura has lightened my load by her wit and well-timed texts countless times. Now I have a collection of her thoughts, so I can return to them and both laugh and be inspired whenever I’d like. This is a treasure.

      Being on the battlefield alongside Laura is a privilege. She loves sacrificially and heroically. A warrior who doesn’t just defend her ground, Laura moves forward and takes back territory that the enemy thought was his. She is a force to be reckoned with, and she will not be silenced. Her strength comes from Jesus, and she stays connected to him like he’s her oxygen mask. Because he is. He is her all in all. I have seen this — not just at Mass or when she’s on stage talking about her faith. I’ve observed this when she’s in the pit, when the circumstances of her life are anything but what she wants. It’s in those places that she remains faithful to her Lord, convinced that the victory will always be his.

      Why is she able to do this with such unbelievable perseverance, courage, and fire? I believe it’s because she knows who is the captain on the battlefield. She knows that it is Jesus who commands her, but that he never does it from a distance. He is with her, in her, around her. He defends her when she is weary. He catches her when she falls. He binds her enemies, brushes the dirt off her face, and says, “You draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them; for the Lord your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Dt 20:3–4).

      I pray that you’ll read Victorious Secret: Everyday Battles and How to Win Them with a pen in hand. You’ll find countless practical tips that will give you the wisdom and focus to face the days that are a little tough. Your burdens will be lifted and your heart will feel lighter as Laura makes you laugh, cry, and long for a deeper relationship with Christ. But she won’t just leave you with a longing; she’ll direct you to simple ways you can change your yearning for God into a personal encounter with him. Get ready to enjoy the ride with Laura alongside you.

      Lisa Brenninkmeyer

      Founder and Chief Purpose Officer

      Walking with Purpose

       Chapter 1

      The Everyday Battle

       “You draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them; for the Lord your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

      — Deuteronomy 20:3

      Have you ever felt such unrest, such anxiety building, and you had no idea where it was coming from, or how to make it go away?

      This happened to me, seemingly out of the blue, one beautiful summer afternoon. Because I had already polished off the chips and salsa (and it was too early to pour myself a glass of wine), I searched for a more appropriate distraction and settled on a trip to the movie theater. I pulled up the show times for Wonder Woman, the anxiety still ever present, and was stopped in my tracks as the headline appeared before me:

       “Power. Grace. Wisdom. Wonder.”

      Without further hesitation, I grabbed my bag, I grabbed my son, and off we went to the 3:00 p.m. showing. My anxiety came along with me, too, and I was certain I would be charged a third ticket for it, because that is how big it had grown.

      As I drove, I whispered that headline, almost like a prayer.

      Power. Grace. Wisdom. Wonder.

      Four simple, beautiful words that quite literally moved me. Four incredible adjectives that immediately brought to mind a woman I know and love.

      And yeah — no, sorry — I am not talking about Beyonce.

      I am talking about the Woman of wonder, our gracious Queen and Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. You see, at that time, I was on day 26 of 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration, so Mary was heavy on my mind and heart. What is consecration, you might ask? Well, in short, consecrating oneself to Mary is simply a way to grow closer to Jesus, through his mother. Sound crazy? Yeah. Well, no argument here, because both times I have chosen to consecrate myself, my life has been hit by a raging and violent storm, and I’ve been thrown into some of the deepest, most troubling waters I have ever known. I know, I should stop doing this, right? But I can’t. I actually look forward to it.

      That’s the catch when you encounter someone like Jesus — when you have truly been rescued by our Savior. You keep on following him. No matter how strong the winds blow against you, or how hard those waves crash fear upon you, you still get up and you follow. Still, you seek out more