Third Wednesday of Advent: I Trust in You...Maybe?

"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"  - Lk 7:19

Last week, I began to feel a bit anxious. I knew that I’d wake up extremely early the following morning for a long workday with breaks in between to run errands and attend meetings. I’d be on a strict timeline, driving hundreds of miles between multiple cities. Upon returning home late that night, I’d then have to pack for an early travel day that would begin again, hours before daylight the following morning.

I’d already tried to change my schedule to make it more feasible, but to my dismay, I couldn’t. Everything seemed necessary. My anxiety grew. I was getting over a cold, already feeling burnt out, pushed to my limits. I knew I’d "make it" to the end of the next day, but would I be successful?

My evening prayers were heavy requests for rest, to let go of expectations and pressures. The next morning, as I opened my eyes, I began asking God for energy and help. My prayer ended with a mantra to take on for that day:

Jesus, I trust you.

As I repeated this mantra in meditation, the weight lifted from my shoulders and any anxiety left my chest and heart. This was, after all, the Jesus who had brought me through the darkest valleys; who sat with me in my most forlorn and hopeless moments. This was the Jesus who brought me to the highest mountains in my life; who had shown me the most glorious and joy filled moments that God Himself had dreamed for me. This was my Lord, my God, my Caretaker, my Savior; the Son of the Creator of the World, of the Heavens above.

Today’s reading poses a question similar to one we may ask unknowingly when we allow our worries, anxieties, and fears to exist beyond reason.

Jesus, you have been the One who has brought us through the trying times in our lives. Despite all that you have done, is it still you who will bring us through what currently weighs us down?

In our humanity, our doubts can rage with the uncertainty of the future and the lack of control over many things in our lives. This all can become magnified. But we are called to realize that in fact, these are all diminished in comparison to the saving Grace and Power of our loving God.

Dear Lord, help us to remember the goodness you have brought into our lives as a sign of your continued fidelity to lead, guide, and be with us during our most difficult moments and trying seasons.

Rae Visita