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Lizzy Rich

Just a Handmaiden

Fashion Blogger dedicated to changing the narrative of our modesty to one of dignity, beauty, and self-love through the eyes of our Father

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Latest Posts

A New Approach to My Lenten Promise //
How to Shop Ethically on a College Budget
Is it Really Our Job to “Protect Men” Through Modesty?
A Knowledge that Drives Away Fear, Shame & Doubt
Immaculate Conception – What does it Mean for Us?

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“Oh my daughter I am so happy that I created you. You bring me so much joy” * As I stared at the Eucharist last night I started to pray so eloquently... oh Jesus I’m so grateful for this week, it has been so incredible, wow Jesus I’m so happy with how everything worked out thank you for the ups and the downs... and then I literally broke down laughing, and I know for a fact God did too, because that is just not at all how I felt about this week. Straight up I was a mess and I am disappointed in how some things turned out, and I’m mad at myself for my inability to say no to people, and wow I could go on. * And Jesus and I just laughed with each other because as I looked at Him and really talked to Him like a friend, instead of like some far away being who expects perfection from me, I was able to be so fully myself in front of Him. I was a little sarcastic, I made fun of myself, and I was finally able to be real with Jesus - knowing that this week might have been His will for me but dang I didn’t enjoy it too much. And as I laughed with Him this phrase came into my head - “My daughter, I am so happy that I created you.” And I was for once in my life left speechless. He truly takes delight in little old stressed out me. That blows me away and as I processed this message I realized it’s something He says to literally every single one of us!! He is so so happy that He made you. He takes delight in you. You have a purpose for being here. You have an ability to love in a way that no one else in this planet will ever love and you have a way to be a mess in a way that no one else can be a mess. You bring delight to your creator. Your beauty and goodness and messiness brings Him joy and He looks at you each day and says - “I am so happy that I made you”

“Beloved: Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, in conduct, love, faith, and purity.” 1 Tim 4:12⠀ ⠀ This is one of my favorite bible passages because literally the founders of our church are speaking directly to us and saying - do not let anyone tell you that you do not have a place or a voice in this church just because you are young. But use your youth and your faith to evangelize the whole world. It is such a gift to be living in a house if women this year who set this example of faith - who are bold leaders and spreading Truth in the way they live their lives. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you don’t have a place or a voice in this church just because you are young - and make sure to surround yourself with other young people striving towards heaven because there is nothing more empowering. Young people can and will set the Church on fire.

For those who need a little joy today I wanted to share this incredibly perfect photo of me and my sisters dog @thegoodestshepherd because she is perfect. Like come on how could you not smile about this. (Also, I miss her like crazy right now)

Happy Birthday Mary!! At first I was a little sad that Mary’s birthday was on a Sunday because that means the Church doesn’t celebrate it. I was so excited to honor her but instead the mass had nothing to do with her. ⠀ ⠀ But as I looked at her statue during mass I realized that having her birthday on a Sunday, when everyone was focused on her Son instead of on her, would be her favorite way to spend her birthday. In her amazing humility, she dedicated her whole life to pointing others back to her Son and it’s only fitting that even on her birthday she’d want the focus to be on her son. The best birthday present she could receive would be the community of the faithful all coming together in the mass to receive her Son: body, soul, and divinity. So happy birthday Mary, thank you for all of the gifts you have given us. 📷: @katecostello___

Let it go. Let that boy go. Let that friendship go. Let that class go. Let that fear go. Let it go. And I don’t mean remove it from your life (although if you do have an unhealthy man or girlfriend in your life please do) but what I really mean is, release the control you are trying to keep over your life when the control isn’t yours to have. ⠀ ⠀ I have a tendency to grasp onto things. I hold on so tight and I never wanna let go. A crush, a future plan, a friendship - I hold onto these things and I want to make it happen. But dang it is so exhausting, and wow, it never works out, leaving me constantly disappointed. And then I get mad at God - why didn’t that boy like me back? Why didn’t this dream come true? Why don’t I have this skill that would really help me get where I want to go?⠀ ⠀ By trying to keep control, by trying to make things happen on my own, I’m always going to be let down and a habit of ungratefulness is going to weed its way into my heart. ⠀ ⠀ Release control of whatever it is you are holding onto, and keep re-releasing when you inevitably take it back. Trust me, you will be so so much happier

To be honest with you all I’ve always been absolutely terrified that God was going to call me to religious life. And so, when the thought that maybe I should look into it came into my heart three years ago I literally spent an entire summer having panic attacks - probably not the most healthy way of dealing with things. ⠀ ⠀ But as I prayed through it, met more sisters, and grew to trust in God’s plan for me, the more I realized that God had the most perfect and loving plan for me. A plan that involves my greatest happiness and holiness, and more importantly, will lead me to heaven. I think relationships and family life can be so glorified in young adult catholic culture today, which in many ways is a good thing, but also I think that there are negatives that come with it too. This ideal of being married has become so big in my mind that I have begun to believe the lie that I will not be satisfied or fully happy if I am not married/ in a relationship and this fear has been enslaving. ⠀ ⠀ So, today I submitted an inquiry form into the Sisters of Life, specifically to see if I can go on one of their come and see retreats this year. Honestly, pressing the submit button was one of the scariest things but at the same time it was so freeing. I’ve got no FLIPPEN clue if I’m called to marriage or religious life or single life but I do know that right now, God has ordained for me to be single and He desires that my heart be rid of this fear. If any of you feel even the slightest tug towards religious life I couldn’t encourage you more to look into it! Reaching out to an order doesn’t mean you are going to join it! It simply means that the idea of Jesus being your Beloved seems at least a little attractive to you (how could it not!?) Start going to daily mass, pray about your vocation, look into religious orders that attract you and your passions, and find a spiritual director who can help you walk through it. If God can help me overcome a crippling fear then He can help you too, and that is exactly what He wants to do. ⠀

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@Justahandmaiden

“Oh my daughter I am so happy that I created you. You bring me so much joy” * As I stared at the Eucharist last night I started to pray so eloquently... oh Jesus I’m so grateful for this week, it has been so incredible, wow Jesus I’m so happy with how everything worked out thank you for the ups and the downs... and then I literally broke down laughing, and I know for a fact God did too, because that is just not at all how I felt about this week. Straight up I was a mess and I am disappointed in how some things turned out, and I’m mad at myself for my inability to say no to people, and wow I could go on. * And Jesus and I just laughed with each other because as I looked at Him and really talked to Him like a friend, instead of like some far away being who expects perfection from me, I was able to be so fully myself in front of Him. I was a little sarcastic, I made fun of myself, and I was finally able to be real with Jesus - knowing that this week might have been His will for me but dang I didn’t enjoy it too much. And as I laughed with Him this phrase came into my head - “My daughter, I am so happy that I created you.” And I was for once in my life left speechless. He truly takes delight in little old stressed out me. That blows me away and as I processed this message I realized it’s something He says to literally every single one of us!! He is so so happy that He made you. He takes delight in you. You have a purpose for being here. You have an ability to love in a way that no one else in this planet will ever love and you have a way to be a mess in a way that no one else can be a mess. You bring delight to your creator. Your beauty and goodness and messiness brings Him joy and He looks at you each day and says - “I am so happy that I made you”

“Beloved: Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, in conduct, love, faith, and purity.” 1 Tim 4:12⠀ ⠀ This is one of my favorite bible passages because literally the founders of our church are speaking directly to us and saying - do not let anyone tell you that you do not have a place or a voice in this church just because you are young. But use your youth and your faith to evangelize the whole world. It is such a gift to be living in a house if women this year who set this example of faith - who are bold leaders and spreading Truth in the way they live their lives. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you don’t have a place or a voice in this church just because you are young - and make sure to surround yourself with other young people striving towards heaven because there is nothing more empowering. Young people can and will set the Church on fire.

For those who need a little joy today I wanted to share this incredibly perfect photo of me and my sisters dog @thegoodestshepherd because she is perfect. Like come on how could you not smile about this. (Also, I miss her like crazy right now)

Happy Birthday Mary!! At first I was a little sad that Mary’s birthday was on a Sunday because that means the Church doesn’t celebrate it. I was so excited to honor her but instead the mass had nothing to do with her. ⠀ ⠀ But as I looked at her statue during mass I realized that having her birthday on a Sunday, when everyone was focused on her Son instead of on her, would be her favorite way to spend her birthday. In her amazing humility, she dedicated her whole life to pointing others back to her Son and it’s only fitting that even on her birthday she’d want the focus to be on her son. The best birthday present she could receive would be the community of the faithful all coming together in the mass to receive her Son: body, soul, and divinity. So happy birthday Mary, thank you for all of the gifts you have given us. 📷: @katecostello___

Let it go. Let that boy go. Let that friendship go. Let that class go. Let that fear go. Let it go. And I don’t mean remove it from your life (although if you do have an unhealthy man or girlfriend in your life please do) but what I really mean is, release the control you are trying to keep over your life when the control isn’t yours to have. ⠀ ⠀ I have a tendency to grasp onto things. I hold on so tight and I never wanna let go. A crush, a future plan, a friendship - I hold onto these things and I want to make it happen. But dang it is so exhausting, and wow, it never works out, leaving me constantly disappointed. And then I get mad at God - why didn’t that boy like me back? Why didn’t this dream come true? Why don’t I have this skill that would really help me get where I want to go?⠀ ⠀ By trying to keep control, by trying to make things happen on my own, I’m always going to be let down and a habit of ungratefulness is going to weed its way into my heart. ⠀ ⠀ Release control of whatever it is you are holding onto, and keep re-releasing when you inevitably take it back. Trust me, you will be so so much happier

To be honest with you all I’ve always been absolutely terrified that God was going to call me to religious life. And so, when the thought that maybe I should look into it came into my heart three years ago I literally spent an entire summer having panic attacks - probably not the most healthy way of dealing with things. ⠀ ⠀ But as I prayed through it, met more sisters, and grew to trust in God’s plan for me, the more I realized that God had the most perfect and loving plan for me. A plan that involves my greatest happiness and holiness, and more importantly, will lead me to heaven. I think relationships and family life can be so glorified in young adult catholic culture today, which in many ways is a good thing, but also I think that there are negatives that come with it too. This ideal of being married has become so big in my mind that I have begun to believe the lie that I will not be satisfied or fully happy if I am not married/ in a relationship and this fear has been enslaving. ⠀ ⠀ So, today I submitted an inquiry form into the Sisters of Life, specifically to see if I can go on one of their come and see retreats this year. Honestly, pressing the submit button was one of the scariest things but at the same time it was so freeing. I’ve got no FLIPPEN clue if I’m called to marriage or religious life or single life but I do know that right now, God has ordained for me to be single and He desires that my heart be rid of this fear. If any of you feel even the slightest tug towards religious life I couldn’t encourage you more to look into it! Reaching out to an order doesn’t mean you are going to join it! It simply means that the idea of Jesus being your Beloved seems at least a little attractive to you (how could it not!?) Start going to daily mass, pray about your vocation, look into religious orders that attract you and your passions, and find a spiritual director who can help you walk through it. If God can help me overcome a crippling fear then He can help you too, and that is exactly what He wants to do. ⠀