God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. I shall do good. I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me – still He knows what He is about.
Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)