I drove down the freeway at a steady speed with a heavy heart, relaying to the Lord how my spiritual life felt so much like the land that surrounded me: a dry, deserted wilderness.
The first few months of my post-graduate life in a brand new city, amidst a global pandemic, were filled with a deep loneliness and a constant doubt in my ability to persevere this transition. I questioned my discernment and wondered why I’d come to this desert in the first place.
Was my confidence in the Lord misplaced?
Am I in over my head?
Does He see me in this suffering?
If you can relate to this questioning, dear sister, I want you to know that you’re not alone. I also want to affirm you that you and I are not the first or the last children of God to experience spiritual desolation and doubt. The wisdom of the Saints, including the one we celebrate today, affirms us that our spiritual dryness will not last and the love of the Lord will always endure.
Saint Ignatius' rules for discernment have been a trusted guide in my wonderings and wailings. As I drove down the Arizona freeway that day, I found consolation in the fifth rule of my trusted companion: in times of desolation, don’t make a change.
The wisdom of Saint Ignatius permitted me to once again put my faith in the Lord and trust that He was working, in His time, to fulfill every promise He made to my heart.
He not only saw me in my suffering, but He saw the excitement of everything He was calling me to on the other side of transition.
He didn’t ask me to work it out or fake a smile—only to trust Him fully and rest in the freedom that I found in total surrender.
Sister, are you in a season that tempts you to doubt the extravagant love of our good Father? I invite you to be guided by the wisdom of Saint Ignatius and rest in the steadiness of the Lord.
He will not abandon you. Stay the course.
Rest in the steadiness of the Lord. // Kelsey Dassance Click to tweet
LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS
A NEW WORKSHOP
COME BACK TO FIRST LOVE
