Oh, the Places You’ll Go With God!

Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

By Colleen O’Sullivan

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit” – you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.  Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”  (James 4:13-15)

Piety

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

my memory, my understanding,

and my entire will,

all I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

that is enough for me.

(Suscipe, St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Study

Decades ago, Lord, you, who knew me before you formed me in my mother’s womb, called me into being.  For as long as I can remember, you have gone before me, just like the pillar of cloud or of fire, always there, frequently turning around, beckoning me to follow.  And what a journey it has been!

Yes, there have been detours on my part, but whenever I’ve strayed, you’ve been there to show me the way again.  You’ve taken me places I never dreamed of going and you’ve filled my life with more friends than I could ever have imagined.  You’ve laughed and rejoiced with me on many an occasion.  You’ve carried me in times of illness and despair.  You’ve put an arm around me, held me up and wiped away my tears in times of sorrow.  I love you dearly, Lord.

So, how is it that I so often find myself struggling with you for the driver’s seat?  Why do I persist in chasing the illusion that I am lord of my life?  Forgive me my arrogance, Lord.  Not my will but your will be done.

Action

I hope that at some point before I die I can pray the Suscipe prayer and mean what I’m saying.  It is so difficult some days to surrender my will to God’s will.  I’m a person who loves organization, planning and my datebook, yet God’s plans for me always turn out to be better than anything I could ever think up.

If you have some time for reflection today, look at any 10-year segment of your life.  What were your plans at the beginning of those 10 years?  Where did God lead you during that time?