To Live Without Belief

Okee dokee, for Women’s History Month I am going way back in history. This was a much longer quote than I normally do, yet I thought it was important to include the quote in its entirety. I shifted the lettering in my piece to add texture and interest, then splattered red ink on the letters for impact. Here are these amazing words from Joan of Arc:

One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.

– Joan of Arc 1431

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. She died for what she believed, and let’s face it, what a horrible way to die. She was declared innocent and made a martyr in 1456. She was also canonized as a Roman Catholic Saint. She claimed to be acting under divine guidance, became a military leader who transcended gender roles, led troops and battled to defend her country, and is most often recognized as a savior of France. She died at age nineteen.

Joan of Arc was an extraordinary young woman who lived, fought and died for what she truly believed. Her passion, leadership and commitment ignited the people she encountered. She had courage far beyond her years, and lived each day doing what she believed was her calling…her divine calling.

So here comes the question for you, what do you believe? And how does your life reflect that? Is it the things you say, the things you do, where you spend your time and your money? Is it in how you treat people, or is it in how you even treat yourself? Can people identify what is important to you, who is important to you and why? Or do you have to keep telling them because your words and deeds might leave them confused? And if right now all that seems a bit fuzzy, maybe this blog is a reminder to choose to live each day as if you knew your purpose, know what you love AND are willing to spend your time and money to make things better. Still a little muddled, then let me encourage you to spend some quiet time figuring out who you are at this stage of your life AND start living each day doing what is most important to you.

We only have one life to live. We are given each day to do, say, spend and speak what is important to us. None of us are promised tomorrow. So make today a day you can be proud to live, one that fortifies and identifies what you believe. Because to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying. Wise words from Joan of Arc.