**Author’s note: I started writing this almost 4 months,
which just solidifies my role as a perpetual prodigal daughter, I can’t even commit
to writing a post about my lack of commitment.
Recently I was standing in my kitchen on a lazy Saturday
morning making pancakes. And I suddenly
had this vivid recollection of a time I was 17 and gave a talk about faith for
a freshman retreat. I stood up in front
of a bunch of 14 years old and I spoke of the trials I had faced, the testing
of my faith, and the ultimate comfort of leaning on Christ. I really thought I was something, inspiring
these younger kids with my tumultuous teen years and deep, wisdom-filled
faith. I laughed out loud at the memory. I had no idea. What I thought was a trial and the most
difficult times of my life, seem trivial now.
And I have a hard time recollecting anything of my faith that was not
based on either feelings or what I had been taught in 13 years of Catholic
school and 4 years of youth group and teen Jesus conferences.
I’ve always been a bit arrogant, so it’s no surprise I
thought I had my shit together. It
didn’t help that I had peers tell me I was an “inspiration”. I still have a tendency to be over
confident. But now, 15 years later, I no
longer feel like an inspiration, and while I am confident in my Biblical
knowledge, I often feel like a perpetual prodigal daughter, making the same
mistakes over and over again.
