“My way is sure, and I am not mistaken in following it.”
With these words, Sister Therese of Lisieux (then a Servant of God) commented on her little way being a true and worthwhile way of following the Lord after her going to Heaven. This statement would reach the sisters in her French convent, effectively as an answer to a promise she had made before her death.
These days, I feel Sister Therese close as she encourages me to lean into the Heart of Jesus with full trust and confidence, in my limitations and smallness. To make progress in this journey of growth, today, I want to take a stand against my inner doubts.
The truth is, I can more easily believe that everyone else has a vocation, a mission from God, but I am tentative in defending such a resolution towards myself. Is this some petty sense of inferiority and lies I’m holding on to?
The words below from St Henry Newman speak of his trust in being given a mission from God. A mission that would not be done away with in the face of opposition, loss or failure (which he experienced).
Today I want to make my own both the childlike confidence of St Therese and the heartfelt belief of St John Henry.
I accept and believe the words that the Lord has spoken to me in His providential ways; the dreams He put in my heart; the longings of my soul. I believe that God created me for some definite service, a specific mission He thought for me, however small or mysterious. I renounce any doubt about this reality. Jesus, help me to trust in You and to hold on to this truth. Help me trust in Your unfailing love and Providence guiding my life and fulfilling Your Divine purposes in my life. Amen.
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.
St. John Henry Newman
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