More From Maria Montemayor

Since I wrote my meditation, a lot has happened in my life. I moved to a new place, I got a new job, and I’ll soon be going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt. Even with all of these blessings God has bestowed upon me, I haven’t forgotten the importance of prayer and how it grounded me during the times when I didn’t feel like I was thriving. Through prayer, God helps me overcome all of my doubts and fears.

At the beginning of 2022, I had the goal of rollerblading to church. I took inline skating lessons and even bought myself an expensive pair of skates. After a few months of lessons, I felt fairly confident on my skates. I practiced on trails with hills but somehow feared sidewalks due to their large cracks.

Then one hot September day, I decided I would do it: I would skate over the sidewalks, and I would be fine. I said a quick prayer, and put on my earphones. After an hour and twenty minutes of skating and sweating, I finally reached my destination, the church. It wasn’t a perfect skate. I nearly fell several times, and I almost gave up due to the intense heat and my fatigue. But as I sat on the sidewalk curb in front of the church and removed all of my protective gear, I felt immense pride and gratitude.

So many things could have gone wrong. I could have fallen and seriously injured myself, I could have gotten hit by a car while crossing the street, I could have gotten heatstroke, but none of those things happened. I am not an amazing skater, but God protected me so that I could make it safely to the church.

In life nothing is guaranteed and so many things can go wrong, but if our goal is heaven and we put forth the effort, God will take care of us and help us get there. God took care of me during the time that I wrote the meditation and continues to take care of me now. I rely on God’s divine providence. I don’t base my self-worth on material things—I could lose everything, and that wouldn’t change the person I am nor my relationship with God. God sanctifies me through my flaws and loves me unconditionally. And with God, I know that my weaknesses and fears can become sources of strength.