No lasting city

^“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come” (Heb 13:14).

Some of my readers must be wondering where I have gone. I’ll tell you: to Omaha. Let me explain…

Just before Lent, my husband lost his job and we were left without an income (except a bit coming in from my books). We knew we would likely have to move, because New Ulm had few employment opportunities (although we did seriously consider an opportunity in nearby Mankato). Our hope was to return to the Twin Cities to be nearer our parents as they age. But God’s plan was otherwise. Dan was unemployed for two months. Others were surprised that he found a job “so quickly.” It did not seem quick when we were living it!

The Diocese of Omaha was seeking an Editor and General Manager for The Catholic Voice. Diocesan communications has been Dan’s field almost our entire marriage. He applied for the job, traveling to meet Archbishop Lucas and others, while the kids and I put school on hold to start packing. When he was offered the job with a start date of June 1, we began house hunting online. We did not want to be separated while he worked.

The Lord was good. (He always is!) We visited Omaha for one weekend. In that time we viewed four houses, put an offer on one, and it was accepted. Since the owners had already moved out, we were able to move in on June 5.

Since our marriage in 2001, we have lived in Minneapolis; West St. Paul; Lacrosse, Wisconsin; New Ulm in southern Minnesota; and now Omaha. We are settling in. Our new school year started this week.

Omaha is a very Catholic city. My new doctor (whom I picked at random) goes to weekly Adoration. I have been seeing a lot of doctors this year. My health has been somewhat… troublesome.

Nothing but Your will

God has been teaching me something. A lot, actually.

He has been teaching me to say, “Not my will, but thine be done.” And mean it.

A Facebook friend said something striking the other day. I had commented about detachment growing when God “takes things away from you.” She replied that if you embrace God’s will, He has not taken anything from you. You have given it up willingly. Our Lord said:

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17 – 18)

He lay it down, because His Father’s will came first.

God’s will is often at odds with what we think is best. But His will is better. We are in this for eternity, not just for today, or this year, or until retirement. When we keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Him, everything else pales. When He leads us a direction we find distasteful, but we follow anyway because we love Him, we realize more and more how trivial everything is besides love and obedience.

We are Abraham’s children

My health concerns are not serious, but they are chronic and make daily life interesting. I have had to reduce my diet to mostly fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and cheese. Cooking for my family is more of a service now than something I do because I love to try exotic foods. Most of the things I cook I cannot even sample. But, then, I have always wanted to be thin. And God knows best.

He knows that food does not matter, as long as it keeps us alive. That if we cling to Him, we always have our Father with us. That neither health nor the lack of it means anything on its own.

As time goes on, I feel more of an affinity with Abraham, just as my dad has, and for the same reasons:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Heb 11:8 – 10)

The Rossini family is not living in tents. In fact, our house is huge and much nicer than anything we have owned before. We could not have afforded it elsewhere. I try to remind myself constantly that it is only a temporary dwelling. God may ask us to move again. He may ask other things I do not particularly like. No doubt, He will.

I lay it down, Lord. Your will be done.

Connie Rossini