The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
When I read today’s Psalm, I’m reminded of a conversation I had with my mother recently about God’s plans for me.
“What is He up to??” I cried in exasperation. My mother chuckled as I complained loudly about the confusion and frustration I felt in a challenging moment of my faith journey.
Her only answer was, “Remember, Perpetua. His ways are not our ways. You need to ask Him for help to keep going.”
The Psalm begins, “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me.”
As I read this verse, I feel it in a deeply human corner of my heart. It seems that the more I spend time discerning, the fuzzier my understanding of God’s will becomes. Barring a full view of where it is God’s actually leading me, I decide to make my own way because then I can control how much disappointment, anger, and sadness I experience on the journey. Of course, my way often leads to dead ends and burnout, and I spend more time retracing my steps back to square one than I do arriving somewhere good.
Even if God’s way is a little more bumpy, has a few deceptively deep puddles that get my socks wet, and has one too many crossroads for my liking….it is the better way. It takes patience, trust, and obedience to walk His path.
The prayer comes in the following lines: “...teach me Your paths, guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior.”
The next time you feel it’s tough to stay the course, resist defecting and forging your own willful path and ask God for help. We may not be able to see where next God leads us on Earth, but we can always trust Him to steady our feet and use every step to move us closer to an eternity of joy with Him.
Perpetua Charles works as a book publicist in Boston, Massachusetts. She loves the Lord, TV, Disney princesses, books, 90s-00s teen pop, and the color pink. Say hi on Instagram!