“Look, today I am offering to you life and prosperity, death and disaster…
CHOOSE LIFE…”
“Do not be afraid. Your God is ahead of you…” (Dt 1, 19-33)
“Show me the road I must travel…” (Ps 143)
“Direct me in your ways O God and teach me your paths.” (Ps 25)
“She guided them by a marvelous road.” (Wis
My life is a journey. I am always “on the road”. Each time, another semester greets me; I have an opportunity to pause, to see where I have been, to notice how far I have come, and to ponder how that journey has been for me. Each new semester is also a time to clear my vision, to take stock of my resources, and to refresh my dreams as I set out once more on the journey that is mine.
As I recall the many starts in my life, I can see how differently I have entered each new one. From the beginning of the Juniorate until now, sometimes I have been exhausted on the road, worn out and weary, almost dreaded a new start because of my tiredness. At other times, I have rushed to the new semester with enthusiasm, eagerness and excited about the possibilities for growth. Sometimes I begin the new journey full of pain and heartache, with tears in my heart. Or I have walked again filled with worry and anxiety over struggles and problems that loom large on the horizon. I can also remember times when I start again with contentment and peace of heart, full of gratitude for a semester that has gone but that was so full of wonderful events and growth.
No two semesters are ever the same. The one now is always unique. I may feel bored stuck in a rut, apparently facing a dead end or caught up in a very ordinary pattern of life. Yet, if I pause to look deeper, to examine my life more closely, I will see that many people and events called me to growth.
The beginning of a new semester is a good time to get out my road maps of life. I can gain wisdom by looking at the places of my heart where I have traveled during the past semester. As I look back over the journey, it is helpful to identify the places that blessed me, affirmed me, enlivened me and enriched me. I also need to reflect on the situations that challenged me, tested me, discouraged me or even tried to destroy me.
As I go to my new semester, I am invited to enter into the unknown. I do not know what events will surprise along the way. But I can risk the road because I have tremendous assurance that God goes with me on the journey: “Be confident, for go where you will, your God is with you.” (Jos 1, 9) I trust God with my life. I trust that there will be enough strength and beauty amid all the pain to sustain me and to urge me forward. I trust that on the road I will come to greater wholeness and transformation.
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