Follow Where He Leads
At Mass today we heard a reading from the book of Genesis about Abram. Abram was being asked by God to leave everything he knows and loves, everything he is comfortable with, and go out to this new place that the Lord had set apart for him. I mean, it’s pretty ridiculous when you think about it. If I were in Abram’s shoes, I think it would feel pretty close to impossible. But what did Abram do? He “went as the Lord directed him.”
Woah.
We can even look a little farther in Abram/Abraham’s story. God had promised him a son, even though he and his wife Sarah were very old and Sarah was barren. And they did finally have a son, Isaac. But one day, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son. This must have felt a thousand times worse for Abraham than all the things God had previously asked of him. And yet…Abraham was prepared to do what God had asked him to do. Clearly Abraham is for us an incredible example of trust in God and obedience to His will.
Do you ever feel like that in your life? Do you ever think, “Lord, what You’re asking me to do is too hard.” Maybe you think God is calling you to religious life but it just seems too hard. Maybe it’s about persevering in religious life, or in your marriage. Maybe God is asking you to take some new path in your work life, or with your family. And it just seems too hard, you’re too afraid, you have no idea what the path is going to look like. God often asks us to step outside of our comfort zone, to leave the familiar and comfortable and to follow Him. God has full knowledge of the path and what it looks like and what’s in store for us. He would never lead us down a path that was not going to bring us closer to Himself somehow.
So when you think you know what God is asking you to do, but it seems next to impossible for one reason or another, think of Abraham. Look at his example of trust and obedience. Trust in God who sees the whole picture and who loves you deeply and desires only good for you. And then do what Abraham did: take the leap of faith, and go as the Lord directs you.
“Even if the footsteps of the Lord are sometimes in the midst of thorns, or rather sharp stones, on slippery ground or even steeply uphill—they are still the Lord’s footsteps. Whenever it gets too difficult, He carries us.” (Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt)
Sister Mary Grace
