Which Way Should I Go?

I recently saw a picture and as I looked at it, it immediately struck a thought in my mind. It was a picture of a path which splits off into two separate paths. It reminded me of the expression, “the crossroads in life”, which we all know happens in our lives occasionally. Those times when we must choose which path to take, which course of action, which way to go.

We are all faced with those decisions at one point or another. Hopefully when we are faced with these decisions, especially the bigger ones, we do what we are supposed to do.

Hopefully we turn to Jesus to help us choose what’s right through prayer, because our faith tells us that he will never lead us down the wrong path if we’ve asked him to help us decide, even if it sometimes seems like he does once we’ve chosen which way to go. Personally, there have been many times in my own life where I’ve asked God to lead me in the direction he wants through prayer, (I’ll give you more on this in a minute), and in spite of asking, I encounter all kinds of problems. Does that mean I’ve made the wrong choice? Does it mean that God wasn’t listening and he doesn’t care which path I choose? No, it simply means that even though God shows me which way to go, along the way there will always be stumbling blocks and obstacles that will get in my way, which try to keep me from reaching my destination. Like it or not, it’s just the way this world is. I think this is an important reminder for us that even though we rely on God to help us make our choices, it’s even more important that we keep him close to us along the way to help us get around those stumbling blocks and obstacles, and more importantly, to overcome them.

I mentioned earlier how I often ask God for direction for things through prayer. Aside from the prayers I often find myself saying throughout the day, there are a couple of them that I begin my day with. One in particular I discovered through one of Matthew Kelly’s book, Rediscover Jesus. In this book he gives to us what he calls a “Transformation Prayer”, and it is with that prayer which I begin my day. And I believe that prayer helps me choose the direction for my life each day. The prayer goes like this:

Loving Father,
Here I am. I trust that you have an incredible plan for me.
Transform me. Transform my life.
Everything is on the table. Take what you want to take and give what you want to give.
Transform me into the person you created me to be,
so I can live the life you envision for me.
I hold nothing back; I am 100 percent available.
How can I help?
Amen.

This prayer is so very simple, yet such a powerful prayer. The reason it’s so powerful is because you’re not only giving God permission to transform you into something you’re not, but through this prayer you are asking him to transform you. It’s choosing which path to take. I look at it this way. If you’re not ready to be transformed, don’t say this prayer. Because believe me, if you ask, he’s going to do it (Matthew 7:7). Think about this for a minute. It’s like being transformed from a Dixie Cup into a crystal glass, transformed from a ticket to a movie into a ticket to the Academy Awards, transformed from a rain drop into a lake, or better yet, transformed from a parishioner into an unceasing prayer warrior for God. Don’t you want that? I know I do. Recently a dear friend of mine told me that every morning she says, “OK God, show me what you want me to do today, who you want me to talk to”. After she told me this, I decided I would do the same thing. And you know what? It works. I’ve noticed that I’m given more opportunities to be the face of Christ for others.

I’m getting a little sidetracked here, but my point is that little daily prayers like this can help us to decide which direction to take. They really can.

Going back to the picture with the two paths, a different thought occurred to me and this one was even more thought provoking than deciding which path to take. Looking at that picture, I found myself looking at the path from the other direction and I realized that every so often we are walking in a direction where two paths come together and unite into one. It made me realize that so often we find resolution along our journeys and we’ve made through the obstacles that have been in our way. Maybe it’s when we meet someone who has been searching for something and you’re able to provide something they’ve been looking for. Or maybe it’s someone who’s been away from the Church or hasn’t been to Confession in years and finally comes back. Or maybe it’s when two people meet, fall in love, get married and form an unbreakable bond. Or maybe it’s when a couple brings their child to be Baptized and receives their first Sacrament. These are all two paths coming together. And always, Jesus is waiting where the paths unite to welcome us with open arms.

So the next time you see two paths in front of you, stop and ask Jesus which way you should go.

Blessings to you.