One Millennial’s Restlessness

Winter is a restless time of year for me. The cold days and dark nights can be depressing. I long for the warm days of summer filled with picnics, sports and other outdoor recreation. Sitting still in the house can make me feel restless. I want to go out and conquer the world, not just the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen. Yet this is one of the pitfalls that face Catholic millennials, as Fellow IT Columnist Tim Glenkowski summed it up well in his recent article. We desire to do big things for God, and think something is wrong if His calling is much simpler.

As I move into the role of fatherhood at the age of 24, I cannot help but feel a sense of restlessness. On one hand, I am beginning to wrap my mind around the great task of raising a child in the ways of God, but on the other hand, I see that my freedom to drop everything and do exciting things like a year of missionary work abroad, walking el Camino de Santiago, or even spending two weeks backpacking in the wilderness is gone. I can hear the subtle temptation from the Devil that I settled down too early, and will miss out on some great experiences that life has to offer.

Yet, God is showing me how foolish I really am. In my pride, I want to do something extraordinary to make myself feel good, not out of concern for others. I can become so caught up on my desires and wishes that I can forget God’s will in all of this. God’s call to marriage and fatherhood in my life, which was clearly shown to me, should easily trump any selfish desires that I have to pursue other options. My path to holiness lies in doing the ordinary tasks of family life well, not necessarily through great actions.

This truth was confirmed to me this past week. My wife suggested that I pick a patron saint for 2014 from the Saint’s Name Generator. So I went to the site, said a prayer, and picked a saint. Now instead of getting an epic missionary saint like St. Isaac Jogues, St. Paul, or St. Francis Xavier, I was given the little flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. It’s almost as if God whacked me over the head with a spiritual 2 x 4 and said, “Look to her as a way to grow in holiness”. Although not the saint I would have chosen for this year, she is the right one for me. She is such a great example of how a person can be holy in the ordinary life.

So, if you find yourself in a place of restlessness, wishing that you were doing greater things for God than a mundane job at the office, do not panic. You may be right where God wants you, even if it does not seem like you are making a great difference in the world. Remember that He can use each moment to teach us and perfect us in virtue; we just need to be humble enough to allow Him to work in us. As a new year begins, let us recall the words of Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord, and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance.”