Knowing Which Way to Run

Posted by: L.E.S. on: June 18, 2015

• In: Everyday Life | Faith | Prayer | Saints
• 1 Comment

In the past few days, I’ve spotted some brave chipmunks dashing across a busy street with farm fields on one side and forest on the other, both sides offering good cover and food sources.

This morning, as I took my dog to the groomer, one such chipmunk paused in the middle of the road, as if trying to decide which way to run. Fortunately, it dashed to the other side a few car lengths before I reached it.

Sometimes we’re like that chipmunk. We freeze, unable to decide between two good alternatives:

• Stay in a job we enjoy or leave for a position that offers new challenges?
• Continue on our career path or return to school for retraining?
• Stay in the neighbourhood we love or downsize and move closer to work?
• Keep working in a ministry group or move on to something new?

Even after weighing the pros and cons or asking family and friends for advice, we may feel torn and ask ourselves where to go from there.

In her autobiography, The Story of the Springtime of a Little White Flower, St. Thérèse had this to say about choosing which way to go:

As Our Lord is now in Heaven, I can only follow Him by the footprints He has left—footprints full of life, full of fragrance. I have only to open the Holy Gospels and at once I breathe the perfume of Jesus, and then I know which way to run….

We need to go beyond making lists and asking others’ opinions to look at our decision through the lens of faith. Here are some things we could do:

• Book a counselling appointment with our parish priest or spiritual director to talk through our concerns.
• Pray a novena to our patron saint and ask him or her to intercede, or pray the rosary with the intention of seeking guidance in making a decision.
• Light a votive candle for our prayer intention before or after Mass.
• Ask the members of our parish’s prayer circle to pray for us.
• Spend time reading the scriptures and let God speak to us through the Bible.
• Seek direction in making the right decision through Christian meditation.

Whatever decisions lie ahead of us, I pray that we would turn to our faith in making our choices.

Who is the man that fears the LORD?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

~ Psalm 25:12*

(*Scripture quote taken from the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.)

Advertisement

Tags: Catholic, choices, Christian, decisions, faith, God, religion