Saturday, July 25, 2026From the news

The God of Every Path

God's loving guidance remains steadfast, whether we are within the walls we have chosen or walking a new and unexpected path.

Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

My dear friends in Christ,

Perhaps you saw the story this week of Catherine Coldstream, a woman who, at a young age, gave her life entirely to God within the walls of a Carmelite monastery. For twelve years, she lived a life of intense prayer, silence, and obedience—a radical gift of self that most of us can only marvel at. And then, after more than a decade, she discerned that her path was leading her back out into the world. Her story is one of profound commitment and, ultimately, profound change.

It is easy to hear a story like this and think of it in terms of success or failure. But the life of faith is rarely so simple. How many of us have set out on a path with sincerity and a whole heart, only to find ourselves, years later, somewhere we never expected? It may be a career that ended, a relationship that changed, or a dream that had to be laid to rest. These moments can bring with them a deep sense of confusion, and even shame. We can feel that we have somehow fled from God's presence, or that He has abandoned us on the road.

It is in these very moments of disorientation that the psalmist’s beautiful words can bring such comfort. “Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? … If I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast.” Take heart in this promise. God’s presence is not confined to the monastery, to the church, or to the life we first planned for ourselves. He was with this woman in the sacred silence of her cell, and He is with her now in the noise and complexity of the world. His loving hand does not let go. There is no place—no wilderness of doubt, no painful departure, no uncertain future—where His guidance cannot reach.

Our Lord knows the journey of our hearts better than we do. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us of God’s tender providence: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” Sometimes, a path we thought was our destination is actually a preparation. Those twelve years of prayer were not wasted; they were a formation. They were a time when God was shaping a soul, and that sacred work does not end when one’s address changes. God’s plan for our welfare unfolds in seasons, and He is faithful through every one of them.

Let us have immense compassion for one another, and for ourselves, as we navigate the winding roads of our lives. If you feel lost today, if the path you are on is not the one you chose, remember that you have not outrun God’s love. His hand is upon you still. His plan for your hope is still unfolding. Let us trust that He who began the good work in us will bring it to completion, on whatever path He calls us to walk with Him.