He Pursued Me First

By Anna Wolfe

Pursuing my relationship with God is important to me because He pursued me first. It is wild to think it’s not even been two full years since I decided to become a practicing Catholic. My doing so was a direct consequence of God’s pursuit of me; me being a college freshman who felt heartbroken, lost, and like she had made too many mistakes to turn her life around. At that point in my journey, I had no affiliation whatsoever with the Catholic Church or Jesus Christ aside from the phone number of a cool youth minister I frequently talked to during my confirmation prep courses. I can’t tell you what prompted me to text her, but as soon as I made her aware of my situation she suggested I visit our parish’s perpetual adoration chapel.

For thirty days exactly, I spent over 3 hours in that chapel daily. I would wake up early every morning and it was simply written on my heart to drive over, walk in, spend time resting and write. A mysterious peace settled my worried mind each day upon merely entering, and my heart had never felt so light. In that chapel, I was quick to forgive myself, even quicker to forgive those who had been the source of my pain, and simply felt grateful to God for the experience of having withstood a sea of troubles and grown stronger in the face of them.

During my time in that chapel, I wrote over 100 pages of thoughts, praises, questions and prayers. I have reread the collection a couple times and feel certain that the words aren’t my own. God was present in the chapel, working through me and pursuing me as his daughter, friend, loved one. I did nothing to deserve such love, and this is one reason I am forever seeking to return it. I practice my faith because it’s the little I can do to try and reciprocate God’s great love for me and for each of us.