St. Joan of Arc proved that unimaginable things that can be achieved through us when we surrender our will to the will of the God within.

A simple peasant girl living in medieval France, Joan of Arc led France to victory in its long-running war with England and helped Charles VII be crowned as the rightful king of France. 

At the age of only 19, she who had saved France from the hand of its enemies and delivered its people to freedom was captured by Anglo-Burgundian forces and tried for witchcraft, heresy, and dressing like a man.

She was found guilty and burned at the stake in 1431…

Some would say that she lived a short life. But if we take some time to ponder her life and who this holy being has been, we would soon realize that she lived the life she was intended to live, and as long as she needed to live. 

St. Joan of Arc proved that unimaginable things that can be achieved through us when we surrender our will to the will of the God within. And it is my hope that the lessons I will share with you today will inspire you to let go and let the God in you take charge so that you can live the glorious, meaningful, and wonderful life you came here to live. 

15 Life-Changing Lessons to Learn from Joan of Arc

1. Go forward bravely.

“Go forward bravely. Fear nothing. Trust in God; all will be well.” ~ St. Joan of Arc

“I used to say, “Go boldly in among the English,” and then I used to go boldly in myself.”

2. Fear nothing.

“I am not afraid; I was born to do this.” ~ St. Joan of Arc

3. One life is all we have.

“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.”

4. All battles are first won or lost, in the mind. ~ Joan of Arc

5. It is better to be alone with God.

“… His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength, I will dare and dare and dare until I die.”

6. Help yourself and God will help you. ~ Joan of Arc

7. Every man gives his life for what he believes.

“Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, nevertheless they give up their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it’s gone. But to surrender what you are, and live without belief – that’s more terrible than dying – more terrible than dying young.”

“I die for speaking the language of the angels.”

8. God speaks to us through imagination.

“How else would God speak to me, if not through my imagination? ~ Joan of Arc

9. Since God had commanded it, it is necessary that we do it.

“Since God had commanded it, it was necessary that I do it. Since God commanded it, even if I had a hundred fathers and mothers, even if I had been a King’s daughter, I would have gone nevertheless.” ~ Joan of Arc

“Even though I saw the executioner and the fire, I could not say anything but what I have said.”

10. Take good heed not to judge ill.

“You say that you are my judge; I do not know if you are; but take good heed not to judge me ill, because you would put yourself in great peril.”

11. We are the drum on which God is beating out his message.

“I am the drum on which God is beating out his message.” ~ Joan of Arc

12. Help the poor as much as you can.

“The poor folk gladly came to me, for I did them no unkindness, but helped them as much as I could.” ~ Joan of Arc

13. The outward appearance is a small thing.

“I was admonished to adopt feminine clothes; I refused, and still refuse. As for other avocations of women, there are plenty of other women to perform them.” ~ St. Joan of Arc

“What concerns this dress is a small thing – less than nothing. I did not take it by the advice of any man in the world. I did not take this dress or do anything but by the command of Our Lord and of the Angels. Joan of Arc

14. Men are sometimes hanged for telling the truth. ~ Joan of Arc

“Even little children repeat that oftentimes people are hanged for having told the truth.” ~ Joan of Arc

15. The angels are as perfect in form as they are in spirit. ~ Joan of Arc

“I saw them with my bodily eyes as clearly as I see you. And when they departed, I used to weep and wish they would take me with them”

Bonus: St. Joan of Arc Quotes

“About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing, and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.”

“If I said that God did not send me, I should condemn myself; truly God did send me.” ~ St. Joan of Arc

“[Before being burned at the stake for her faith:] Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames.”

“I would rather die than do something which I know to be a sin or to be against God’s will.”

“Alas! that my body, clean and whole, never been corrupted, today must be consumed and burnt to ashes!”

~love, Luminita 💫

P.S. Joan of Arc isn’t dead. Even though she left her body behind so many years ago, she is more alive today than she has ever been. The question is, are we Alive? Is there as much life in us as there was, and still is in her today? Something to think about…

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