Where are you going?

On Saturday, I participated in a retreat at the Catholic Theological Union. The retreat focused on the theme of "calling." More specifically, we reflected on the times that we heard God calling us to something greater than who/what/where we were at the time. This can be a life-altering theme for anyone.

During the retreat we were asked important questions, such as; Where are you? What direction is your life headed? What has God called you to? Who are you? What do you desire? What questions do you struggle with?

All of these questions challenge us to take a good look at ourselves. Why are we attending the schools that we do? Why are we working the jobs that we are? Why are we in relationships with that we are in? How did we get here? Is this where we intended to be?

We can't just meander through life without asking ourselves these important questions. It's hard to know if you're where God wants you if you can't remember where God asked you to go.

There is a mural here in Hyde Park underneath the Metra station at 56th and Lake Park. The title of the mural is "Where are you going?" The mural depicts many diverse different people (presumably people who were interviewed at that very station) and places next to them an answer to this very important question. One young man says "I can't afford to live where I work, so I live here and ride the train to work everyday." An old woman says "I have a friend who lives in this neighborhood, one of my few friends, I come here to spend time with her." Another man says "I come to look for my friend, an illegal immigrant, who works in this neighborhood."

Mural, with artist Olivia Gude

None of the captions is very long but each of them reveals something profound about the person they are attached to.

Similarly, answering these questions about our call by God- namely, where am I going and why?- can reintroduce us to ourselves and set our moving back in the right direction.

So, where are you going? Peace turtles!