where are you going?

I've been sitting in front of the computer for an hour tonight, with noooooo idea what to write about. I asked God for some kind of inspiration, and then proceeded to surf a few of my favorite science news sites, and a few of my favorite Catholic sites... to no avail. I was about to just cash it in and write something short about nothing in particular, and logged in to try and get it over with! I clicked into my post listing, and started perusing my collection of ideas for future posts (whenever I have an idea, I try to put the bare bones into a draft post and save it). I came across the idea in boldface below, and something clicked - in part because I brought this up in my post about the HHS Mandate, and in part because it also meshed well with my post from yesterday, as well.

Where we have been is nowhere near as important as where we are going.

That is not to say that where we have been is completely unimportant - I think we all know that is not true. All of our experiences, the good, the bad, (and the ugly!) shape us into who we are and how we approach life. The bad are hard - they cause us to suffer. Hopefully, though, they motivate us to some higher good, instead of leaving us in bitterness and anger - which speaks to the "where we are going" - I have free will, and can choose what direction I will go next. Do I choose to do good even when evil has been done to me? Have you ever been in that kind of situation? I know I have, and I know how hard it is to choose good, because I know how many times I've failed to.

But for those of us who are Catholic, I think the most striking example of the importance of where we are going vs. where we have been is in the Sacrament of Confession. Eh? Think about it. You walk into Confession, carrying whatever sin you have committed, and when you leave, it's gone. Who you were is no longer who you are. Where you are going is now more important than where you have been, by the grace of God. It's easy for us to forget that, and I think even easier to forget it during Lent, when we're trying so hard, and often feeling that we're struggling to move forward.

Keep the faith, and keep moving forward, one step at a time. Peace, and all good!