Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt. // Jeremiah 31:4
Have you ever felt your life crumble to the ground? Sometimes it is difficult to remain hopeful when our heavenly Father allows us to suffer such difficult things.
I literally had to rebuild my life with Jesus when I discerned to leave religious life after six years in the convent. My parents graciously took me into their home, and there was a lot to figure out. I opened a bank account, acquired new clothes, bought a phone, updated my resume, found a job, purchased a vehicle, reconnected with friends, and found a new spiritual home in a parish.
The Lord also provided several very helpful people to me:
+ “One of the most important things I have learned in the last few months is how to receive love,” described my cousin who was recovering from breast cancer.
+ “My whole life changed and Jesus led me one step at a time,” shared my friend who celebrated sobriety after a destructive addiction to alcohol.
+ “Jesus will help you,” promised my grandma who had been widowed for twenty-three years.
+ “We have received encouragement from countless people whom we would have never encountered without our son’s diagnosis,” shared a friend whose child had special needs.
+ “I know how you feel; I once had to rebuild my entire life, too,” said my friend who had escaped an incredibly abusive marriage with her three young children.
These women were signs of hope to me. With their unique paths to holiness, they grew in closeness to Jesus through the suffering of the Cross. And they had come to a place of genuine peace and rest. They were joyful witnesses of the Resurrection as they received God’s particular love and mercy. And with their companionship, I continued to let God restore and rebuild my life.
Sister, no matter the size of the trauma we might have experienced, remember that we have received the gift of Faith through our Baptism. We must hold onto this Faith and let Jesus lead us in love to His Merciful Heart. Here Jesus will console us, heal us, and turn our mourning into joy.
Let Jesus lead us in love. // Rose ColemanClick to tweet
Rose Coleman is an elementary school teacher with a heart for pilgrimage. She traveled the globe on a ship during college and spent some years in the convent as a religious sister. She was a contributing author to All She Had, Blessed Conversations: Rooted, and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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