Every year, I begin January with a renewed focus and direction on where the Lord is leading. Historically, I will discern a word or Scripture and then the Lord will direct me to a saint to be a friend on the journey. This year, I was excited about the verse Christ put on my heart from John 2:17 and Psalm 69:9: “…zeal for Your house will consume me.” As an extrovert overjoyed at an outwardly passionate reading, I looked forward to whatever bold and loud saint the Lord would lead me to. Would it be St Francis of Assisi this year? Perhaps St. John the Baptist? Maybe the fierce St. Joan of Arc for 2026?

I was quite surprised that over the course of the first week of January God made it abundantly clear that the saint He wanted me to grow with was St. Charbel—a powerhouse in the Maronite rite and a man I knew absolutely nothing about.

As I started to read about this Lebanese saint, I quickly came to realize that his life on earth was very still and quiet. He lived out a monastic vocation, and no written wisdom was ever procured from him. I began to question if I misheard the Lord—could a saint so hidden be a match for a zeal that consumes?

Of course. Because the Lord’s giants teach us about the need for every type of saint. Beyond that, the Lord has begun teaching me through this marriage of zeal and contemplation that each feeds into the other. My natural disposition to be excited about zeal will never reach its full potential if I am not surrendered to the beauty of contemplation as well.

I continue to learn that while the Lord is incredibly steadfast in his love for me, He also surprises me with new ways to draw closer to Him. These invitations have helped me to let go of the pride that can creep into a seemingly well-curated and aesthetic prayer life. In exchange, He renews his promise to me that life with Him is an incredible adventure and one that He always makes new.