Miley Azbil
Hello all! I'm Miley, a high school Junior with a huge heart for music, Jesus and service.
How do you let God make you a resurrected woman?
I let God make me a resurrected woman by asking Him make me His instrument. Like many of us, I like to have control, and I feel secure when I do hold that authority. However, if I just let go and trust in the Lord, He resurrects me, and I can live as a servant to Him more fully. The biggest place in my life where the Lord has done this for me was during the summer between freshman and sophomore year. Before that time, I was convinced that God wanted nothing to do with my life, so why should I want anything to do with Him? I then decided to attend a Steubenville youth conference. Weeks before we left for the conference, I had just gotten out of a toxic friendship, and I had just torn my right ACL, so I was not looking forward to this “Church camp.” Because of feeling this major low, I let Jesus in, and I let him mend my broken heart. That is why I am the resurrected woman I am today.
What does living out the resurrection look like in daily life?
I think the most important thing is the fact that living out the resurrection in daily life does not have to be big. It can be as simple as sitting and praying with someone for as little as 15 minutes. This lifestyle is reflected in the smallest acts of kindness, like saying “hello” to someone you pass. I think the biggest thing we can do to live out the resurrection and inspire others to do so as well, is to exemplify a spirit of service. No matter how big or how small, some form of service motivated by Christ alone, shows that you are truly resurrected.
Why can it be hard? How do you defeat these difficulties?
To be quite honest, the biggest thing that holds me back is the temptation to laziness. Yes, we all have a great hunger for Jesus, but His hunger for us is far greater. He never stops pursuing us. Personally, I tend to slack in my faith by just simply not praying or not going to Mass because I was “too tired.” This is really hard because I can sometimes let it stand in the way of my relationship with our Savior. Let me tell you sisters, we are NEVER too tired, or lazy, or anything, to serve the Lord and live out the resurrection. We can overcome these struggles by talking to someone, going to Confession, or even just simply praying for five minutes. Just do it! Those are the moments that will keep your eyes on the prize (Jesus, DUH).
What helps you center back in with christ?
I love music. I always have. When finding that song that always brings me back to Him, I am centered. Whether I am singing one of my favorite worship songs at the moment (shoutout to Bethel), or I rejoicing in spontaneous prayer right then and there, I can feel His arms around me, and I know that He is with me.
How do you keep the faith through the changing seasons of life?
It can be really hard to keep the faith alive through changing seasons. I recently had a season of feeling distant from the Lord. However, I just kept praying. I began to ask for the intercession of Mother Teresa (if you haven’t gotten a chance, please read her story). That dry season eventually came to an end, and as of now, I feel so much contentment with everything. However, I know in the future this could change again, that is life. We never know what God has in store for us, but we must trust that it is all part of His plan and soak in the present moment we have been given. Our faith can be a roller coaster of emotions, but they all lead back to our one true King. If we turn to Him, we can get through ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!
Have you ever had a jewelry piece that represented something or changed something for you? How has this impacted your life?
I tend to wear a lot of jewelry to show that I am a child of God! There are two specific bracelets I have in mind that hold great value to me. The first is a Divine Mercy bracelet I received one day while I was working. I had a decent amount of bracelets at the time, and the woman I was bagging groceries for said, “Hey, I really like your bracelets. Do you have a ‘Jesus, I trust in You,’ one?” I told her that I did not. She then proceeded to take something off of her wrist and say “Give me your hand.” She then put the Divine Mercy bracelet onto my wrist, and I almost cried my eyes out in the middle of the supermarket. That simple act of kindness and generosity has been so impactul for me because it showed me again that the only way to live is by loving others and loving the Lord. The other piece of jewelry that has reminds me of my relationship with the Lord is my Marian consecration chain. I consecrated myself to the Blessed Mother on her queenship, August 22, 2018. I had never felt any sort of relationship with Mary at all, but ever since that day, I have felt her drawing nearer and nearer to me. This has been incredibly impactful for me because I know the closer she gets, the closer Jesus gets! My bracelets are a great daily reminder of my walk with Christ.
If you had to share one thing with women what would it be?
Women, you are BEAUTIFUL! Always remember, no matter what, that you are so loved and so saved. Never let anybody tell you otherwise. Live in God’s eternal love and share it with others. Through this, people will know that you are truly resurrected women.
I am praying for all of you. Thank you so much, and God bless!