You Called Me?

As a young teenager, I found myself wandering for truth. And, I made a lot of choices that I wish I never had. I think being a teenager is like that for a lot of us. We wonder around searching for God, without realizing we may already have the tools, and lack the wisdom to even know where to begin. One day during this time period, I was home alone taking a bath, and clear as a person outside the bathroom door, I heard my name spoken loud and clear. It was enough to make me jump out of the tub, thinking someone had gotten into my house. I checked everywhere, no one was home, no one was outside my house. I realized that it was a wake up call to stop wandering and start paying attention where I knew God could be found. I had bought myself a Bible at some point during this time, and I began to read it more frequently. I can’t say that this was my major conversion point, but it was a baby step, and it set the groundwork for a more full and mature yes later on. In today’s Gospel, Mary’s grief keeps her from recognizing Jesus’s voice. It’s not until He says her name, and she turns to Him, that she knows it is Jesus. When our emotions are high, what does it take for us to wake up to God‘s voice? Even this morning in my prayer I found myself too amped up, with too many distractions, and I had to really sit for a moment and relax, before I could find myself in a place where my prayer felt peaceful. I wasn’t upset, or in a bad mood, I just had too much energy to be at peace and sit with Jesus. The difference is, now I know it’s possible, but it takes patience with myself and time to slow down. God tries to speak in our lives every day, but we don’t recognize Him for who He is because we’re too focused on our our to do list and our agendas. What if we made today about Christ’s agenda?