Most people who know me know that I do not like scary stuff. Things like haunted houses, scary movies, and spiders are not attractive to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to a haunted house and I’ve watched a scary movie or two in my life. That is where this foundation of fear comes from…I have experienced the spooky, though fictional, firsthand. Something in my mind will not shut off to tell me that it is fake.

Recently, I made my annual retreat. I knew I registered for a small cabin in a rural setting. Not until I arrived on the property did my mind start playing tricks on me when I realized I was in the woods. Then the image of a movie title popped into my head, Cabin in the Woods. Yes, you guessed it! It is a scary movie and one that I did not see, mainly because the title sent a shiver down my spine. I went about my afternoon and began to settle in for my week with God.

The scripture for my retreat was Jeremiah 29:10-15. As I began to read and reflect on the Word and God’s message for me I came across this verse: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope.” From that moment, I never again thought about the fear in my mind. Instead I focused on God’s word and His plan for me.

How might God be calling you to a future of hope? How are you living the plans God has for you? Have you considered a vocation to religious life?

We go on to read in Jeremiah: “When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you.”

That is a great invitation, if we are willing to respond, regardless of our vocation.