Where are you?

I found myself saying, “I think I am too proud to think that way. Or perhaps I don’t trust the people around me enough.”

In my recent session with my spiritual director, I spoke from a place of frustration and disappointment. I ended by concluding that I was to blame—that I needed to be fixed, that I must learn to be humble.

In response, she gently pointed out that my frustration and disappointment were not failures, but deeply human experiences.

Then she asked me, “Where are you?”

That question invited me to pause and look at the journey I have taken to become who I am today. It reminded me that this journey is not something to overlook or dismiss. In a way, it burst my illusion of perfection. I began to see that my earlier statement reflected a reluctance to acknowledge my own humanity—my desires, my struggles—and instead, a tendency to strive toward an unrealistic ideal of perfection.

She reminded me that Jesus is both fully God and fully human. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she invited me to reflect on what Jesus treasures about me.

This shifted something within me. I realized that my attention had been fixed on what was happening around me—on people, their intentions, and their actions. But Jesus invites me to walk this journey with Him. His presence is at the centre of my mission.

In that moment, I was able to recognize that the path I have been on was never mine alone—it has been built together with Him. This realization gently shifted my perspective on my present circumstances.

From there, celebration and thanksgiving became the foundation of my response.

“Lent bids us be patient with ourselves and with others, to let things gradually unfold rather than forcing them, knowing that God is the supreme artisan at work in our own actions.” ~Fr. Jean-Marc Laporte, SJ

Written by Serena Wong