Where are you going?
This is a simple question that we hear all the time, but let’s take it a step further.
Recently, while working at my local parish youth group, we asked the teens this very question. One of the youth ministers told the story of “Quo Vadis?”
“Quo Vadis,” which is Latin for “Where are you going?” is a story passed down in the Christian faith. The story goes that St. Peter (one of the first 12 apostles to follow Christ) was on his way out of Rome, where Christians were being brutally persecuted and killed for their faith. While on the road, Peter sees Jesus (who has already risen and been ascended into Heaven) walking in the direction opposite of him.
It is then that Peter asks Jesus, “Quo Vadis?” or “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replies, “I am going back to Rome to be crucified again.” We know He wasn’t literally going back to be crucified, but that he was telling Peter this to prove a point.
After hearing the words of Christ, Peter realized that he could not simply run from his persecution. Christ had entrusted him to be a leader in this fairly new Christian Church. He needed to draw up his courage and go back to Rome, stand up for his faith and give hope to the Christian people- even if that meant death. St. Peter was eventually martyred in the year 64 A.D. Even though he lost his life, it was not in vain. He lived out the beautiful, yet hard life God had planned for him, and to this day we see the fruits of his labor in the Christian faith.
Regardless of your particular religious background, this story helps pose a very important question that we all could answer: Where are we going?
Are there parts of your life that you are running from, but you know in your heart that you must face? And you know deep down inside that facing these problems in your life will help you to heal and become a better person, but it’s just “too painful” to confront these issues?
Trust me, I struggle with this as well. We all do, so please know that you’re not alone.
Maybe you are running from leaving a relationship that you know is not healthy. For others it’s a refusal to face your addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Some of you may be running from your true potential; you are too scared to see how valuable and talented you really are, so you shy away from a career where you will flourish. Others may be running from forgiving themselves. The list can go on and on.
The point is, we all have a calling from God to be great and be the best person we can possibly be. We all have the abilities to follow our dreams and see our goals come into fruition. However, we are human, so naturally we will face many obstacles along the way. And I guarantee that our biggest obstacle can often be ourself. We can never fully become the person God has called us to be if we can’t face ourselves first and realize what we need to change in our lives.
So again I ask you: Where are you going?
Are you on the path of denial? Are you running away? If so, I encourage you to turn back around and face your “Rome” like St. Peter did. The process of facing and fixing our problems will be hard, it may seem scary and it will hurt at times. However, when it’s all over you’ll come out stronger, healthier and the best version of you there ever was!
You deserve to live the most amazing life God has planned for you! It’s never too late to turn back around and run in the direction of a better life. So which path will you choose?
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