The Path I Resisted
- Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
There are moments in life when God leads us in a direction we would not have chosen for ourselves. A door opens, and instead of feeling immediate excitement, we feel hesitation. We look at what we may have to leave behind. We think about what feels familiar, comfortable, and dear to us. We wonder whether this new path can truly be the right one.
In the fall of 2019, while I was serving at St. Vartan Cathedral, I received a call from His Holiness asking me to return to Armenia and assume the leadership of the Gevorgyan Seminary. To be honest, I did not want to go. My heart was here. My life was here. My ministry was here. Like so many of us, I began to think of reasons to remain where I was. Yet beneath all the hesitation, there was a quiet conviction: if this was the will of God, then I had to trust Him.
So I said yes.
At the time, I could not see what that yes would bring. I did not know that only months later the world would change. The pandemic came, and with the lockdown, God gave me gift I never could have planned for myself: precious time with my parents, my brother, and his family. It was the deepest family time I had known since leaving home for the seminary in 1997, and it became one of the most meaningful seasons of my life.
Scripture reminds us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9). We make our plans with sincerity, but God guides with wisdom greater than our own. He knows what we cannot yet see. He prepares mercies before we even begin the journey.
Perhaps today you are standing before a door you did not expect. Perhaps God is inviting you into a new season, a new responsibility, or a new surrender. Take heart. The One who calls you is already ahead of you. He knows what He is doing.
God’s providence is deeper than our vision, and His love is greater than our hesitation. Trust Him. Follow Him. And one day, you may look back and see that the path you feared became the place where God met you with one of His sweetest gifts.
