Are You Equipped?

by Margaret Bommarito

God equips those He calls. As a parent, this is crucial information! If we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t know what we are doing much of the time. God is also very polite, and waits to be invited. It takes great humility, and an awareness of our shortcomings, to ask for, and expect, our daily bread.

During the winter of her junior year of High School, my daughter mentioned interest in a school service trip to Mexico for Spring Break. Pride. We attended the informational meeting. Fear. The location, deep within the center of the country, is 9 hours from phone service or a hospital. Even something as simple as appendicitis could be fatal. Four years prior a senior had died from an accident on a similar service trip. Terror. Yes, this week-long immersion trip held life changing possibilities but we couldn’t get past our fears. We hoped that the rustic details – dirt floors, no indoor plumbing would discourage our spider-fearing daughter. It didn’t. We gathered more details from a priest who has made the trip several times, and from the parent of a previous participant. Our fears only increased by what we learned.

We would have to say no.

Still, there was a quiet, nagging feeling. How could we let our fear deny her this profound opportunity?

In our desperation, on the eve of the commitment deadline, we decided to pray. Independently, throughout the day, God heard from us. Help. Help. Help.

Miracle. At the end of the day, our individual terror had been transformed. Peace. Surpassing all understanding.

Miracle #2: Much to our surprise, we continued to be filled with peace during the entire week our precious one was ‘on the dark side of the moon.’

Upon landing back on US soil, she called us with great delight: “Mom, I watered the pigs and the goats”. That’s nice, dear. “No, mom, I SLAUGHTERED the pigs and goats”. Life-changing.

God’s bounty for her was rich indeed. There are children who don’t attend school because they don’t have a pair of shoes. Families with almost nothing are very loving and faith-filled and joyful. Clothing labels are not important. I am strong and capable.

God’s bounty for us was also rich. “Pray and I will equip you”.