IN THIS SPACE
As an educator who deeply believes in the power of story, I blend narratives of my own experience with teaching points to share what has cultivated my on-going growth that I hope will support you in your own journey.
Would you be willing?
Adrenaline rushed through me as I drove. I so concretely recognized an invitation and a call. I had just heard that someone serving within a diocesan role was going to be making a transition.
An image of sand slipping through my fingers came to mind. I was getting ready to apply for tenure, and I sensed that I would earn it and then offer back that security and stability in order to pivot and serve in a faith formation context, rather than continuing as a teacher educator.
It was a season of life where I had been working full-time in higher education while also serving part time as the DRE/Youth Minister for my rural parish.
It was a stretch.
When I realized I was pregnant with my 5th daughter, I knew it would not be prudent to continue serving in both roles. The only challenge was, I longed to serve in an explicitly Christ-centered context but my family depended on my university salary and health insurance.
As the year unfolded, I continued to perceive invitations to trust and to follow in a new direction.
Would you be willing? I perceived in prayer when reflecting on possibilities of a pivot, as well as what I would have to let go of in the process.
Yes!
I was ready to follow where the Lord was leading.
And then, the door never actually opened.
Would you be willing? came back to mind, and I realized the nuance. Not Will you? but Would you be willing?
There are moments when we are prompted to take stock of our hearts - to consider what we are attached to and what provides us with security. We are invited to consider pathways ahead and whether or not we are willing to step out in faith.
In the Lord's mystery, sometimes we are also called to actually follow through. Other times, we are simply called to go on a journey with the Lord in prayer and give our hypothetical fiat.
Either way, we are called to trust that he is working through it all.
Reflect on Your Experiences
What are the moments that you have perceived the Lord's invitations for your life?
How have you been surprised about the way that the process of discerning and pursuing to align with the Lord's will has unfolded?
How have you grown through it all -- both the expected and the unexpected?
How have the experiences impacted your capacity to trust in the Lord?
Within this blog and website, unless otherwise noted, all excerpts from Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary for the Mass are as follows:
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
