Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day: Give God Your Singleness this Lent
If you’ve ever second guessed a decision or spent a sleepless night racking your brain trying to figure out what to do in a difficult situation, know that you’re not alone. Though I’ve gotten a lot better over the years, I fall into the trap of overthinking and scrupulosity very quickly when it comes to big decisions such as whether to take a job, go on a trip or open my heart to someone.
The other night during Adoration, I was scrolling through an archive of prayer resources on one of my favorite blogs. I came across one prayer that was written by Fr. Jacques Philippe, a Catholic priest who has written thousands of words of spiritual guidance. When it comes to a lack of clarity when discerning God’s will, he wrote the following prayer. May it bring as much peace to my fellow overthinkers as it already has to me.
"Lord, I have thought about it and prayed to know Your will. I do not see it clearly, but I am not going to trouble myself any further. I am not going to spend hours racking my brain. I am deciding such and such a thing because, all things carefully considered, it seems to me the best thing to do. And I leave everything in Your hands. I know well that, even if I am mistaken, You will not be displeased with me, for I have acted with good intentions. And if I have made a mistake, I know that You are able to draw good from this error. It will be for me a source of humility and I will learn something from it.”