Unforeseen Moments

At this time in my life as a college student, still technically undeclared as a junior, I am completely confused as to where God is leading me and where my future lies. I would like to be able to say that I know all the answers, but of course that is not the case. I've learned the hard way that God doesn't like long-term plans. So that leaves me constantly trying to have faith and trust in Him and His plan for me. It is in unforeseen moments where I have found God working the most.

Last year right before Lent, my friend Holly and I were approached and asked if we would be willing to take up an adoration hour on Friday nights at 8. As a young college student you can imagine my initial thought of heck no! But it didn't take long before I decided that it was only an hour a week. What better way to sacrifice than to give up my precious free time on a Friday night when I would rather be hanging out with friends? Plus it was only a temporary commitment for Lent, then Holly and I could decide whether we wanted to continue. Lent went by quickly and I looked forward to having that quiet time to sit, reflect, and pray with Jesus. Needless to say we continued to keep our hour. Consequently, my faith has grown exponentially, and I am able to see the impact God has had in my life. Flash forward a year later and now I am reflecting on how generous and glorious Our God is that He would have given me such a life changing opportunity that would help me to become a more committed Catholic. I never would have thought that I would have such a desire to know God, to love Him, and to learn about my Catholic faith back in high school. I was a "good" Catholic, but I still didn't grasp what being Catholic meant, until now.

It is events such as this one that has transformed my faith life in remarkable ways. I still struggle to maintain my relationship with God on a daily basis, but I know that daily Mass and adoration are constant reminders of why God has put me on this Earth. We are all here for a purpose. I just hope when its all said and done that I can say my purpose was to grow close to God so that I can bring others to Him. He has blessed me beyond words. Having this opportunity to participate in WYD with millions of other Catholics with the same struggles who also have the same purpose sets me on fire. We are all united under Him. It is our duty as Christians to bring others to Him, and to do that, we must love. St. Augustine once wrote, "What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." My purpose is to love. What is yours?