By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D.
Well, here we are looking ahead again at a new year. Perhaps you find yourself like Maria in “The Sound of Music,” wondering – what will this day be like? Newness always has a certain uncertainty about it. Was it worth the effort? Did I pay too much? Can I be sure this was the right choice? Perhaps that is why resolutions are always in order as we gaze forward into the new year. This is going to be a “new” story. True, but brace yourself. It is not about you! Life is a story, a very exciting one, but the Author and main Player is God. He has been writing this story since time began. We enter onto the stage for a time and then exit, but the impact we leave is eternal. What is our place in the drama of life?
We all begin as a blank page in God’s story. God writes our first moment of existence with all the love and tenderness of One who has chosen this moment very carefully. God has a plan. We are part of a greater story, a story of unconditional love. But we are not just a spectator in the drama; we have an integral part in how the story unfolds.
Enter, conversion. Really?
Everyone can remember those English papers that were returned to us with all the red lines. Well, life is something like that type of page. God writes His storyline, and we may come along and “tweak” it slightly. “Surely, He meant this.” Conversion is letting God write the lines and then surrender even if the end of the story is hidden from us. This takes trust. As we begin this New Year, let us make a resolution to trust in the Author of our story. Let us ask Him to give us a heart open to His plan, ears to hear His voice in all that He writes, and courage to let Him “rewrite” as needed. Then we will truly have a Happy New Year!
