A New Chapter

I think maybe my life is on chapter 8 right now...like I just started chapter 8. Chapter 1 I was born, chapter 2 I was playing with dolls, chapter 3 I was saved from awkward middle school years because I was homeschooled, chapter 4 I was a mean high schooler, chapter 5 I went to college (I was hopefully no longer mean), chapter 6 I started my job at St Mary's, chapter 7 I was started my job at STM, and hence chapter 8...now! Wow, that sums up my whole life. I like it!

Yesterday, was the first day of work, I picked out some cool new office furniture and am waiting for it to come to me! But backing up about a week and a half, I started driving across country...I made it, don't worry. But I made it about a block from my parents house before I started crying, not because I was scared but because it is sad when things come to a close in your life. I was sad that God had called me away from some really amazing people, especially my parents, but I also had a sense of excitement for what God has planned next.

I had to write a letter introducing myself to my new parish and in it I was reflecting on the saying: the only constant thing in life is change. It is a very true statement but one that people hate accepting. Oh, I know, I know, I heard it a lot during the elections...change, change, change. But when it really comes down to it, people have a really hard time watching things change in life. The loss of a loved one, the moving on of a friend. There are many things that we don't like when it comes to change; sometimes I don't like having to change my coffee brand because I have to get used to something different. But change will happen and the only thing we can control is how we react to it.

That is an important thing to reflect on...how we REACT to something that happens to us, or around us. There are many times I have left God out of that reaction and it is in those times that I see where I failed most. When I don't pray about the situation and what God is calling me to do in that situation I tend to do very prideful things. Things that aren't the best because I am simply reacting in a purely human way. Which makes sense in this world because I am human, but because we live in a secular world this is the only logical thing to do...make the best decision based on MY knowledge. But I KNOW that God has already seen the end result...so why not ask for HIS guidance?

Tomorrow we celebrate the feast of St Thomas the Apostle. We all know that we refer to Thomas as "Doubting" Thomas, because he doubted that Jesus had actually risen from the dead. How did Thomas react to this change? Well, he didn't react well, but isn't this the way most of us would react? Isn't this how we react to most things in life? He lost his faith because something didn't go the way he thought it should. That's life, that's change. St Thomas, who, when he saw his Lord, fell to his knees and exclaimed: My Lord and my God!" knew how wrong he had been and he repented to the Lord. Let us follow the example of St Thomas and say "my Lord and my God, may Your will be done in my life today and forever!"