Knowing for Certain

"All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him."~ Luke 1:66

John the Baptist has a Feast Day today, but the secular world also celebrates him too. He is a character who is fascinating. From his birth of aged parents to his desert wanderings to his eventual beheading, John is not unnoticed.

What will this child become? I am sure that many parents wonder as they hold their beloved babe in their arms. John's parents had every reason to wonder, given the nature of his conception. Not all of us have an angel appear to bring the news of our birth. In this man's life, the hand of the Lord did seem to be upon him.

What about in our lives? Will the Lord's hand be upon us? Personally I get so caught up in stressful situations that I do not always remember that the Lord's hand may be upon me. A lot of potential changes are pending in my life right now and I feel sometimes like I can barely breathe. I have had some decisions to make in these past few weeks and I think all of the stress of rethinking everything has caught up with me. For about a week now, I wake up, feeling ill. I get glimpses of the Lord's hand upon me and yet I still panic. I wonder how John felt as he sat in his prison cell, waiting for Herod to make a decision about his future.

I went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel last night with friends. There was a quote that resonated with me by one of the lead characters, Sonny, who owns the establishment: Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not the end. I know that God will take care of the issues that are unsettling me right now and even if I make wrong choices, I know that God will continue to bless me. The former pastor of my parish would quote Thomas Merton on occasion--and it fits right now for me:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where
it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am
following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you
and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road although I may
know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of
death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face
my perils alone.

Perhaps the only thing that I know for certain is that God is with me through it all.

Peace,

Suzanne