Support For Vocation

[Golden Years]

I have a very dear older friend who has been like an adopted mother to me.  I have known her for over 20 years and she is incredibly devout, but for some reason she is sometimes very negative about my vocation.  She sees all the times I've screwed up and/or gone down the wrong road, and so she is very skeptical that I am called to religious life and very skeptical that I will actually be happy there.  She accuses me of just seeking my own personal fulfillment, rather than the kingdom of God, which is understandable because that is what I have done in the past. 

 

Her opinion is very important to me but I know I have to let go of that and not worry about pleasing other people but following the Lord.  But just once I would like to hear someone I love say something positive about my vocation, but I know that's not going to happen because unless you've been there you don't understand what it's like.  She said she can't be my "cheerleader" because she doesn't know if I really have a vocation or not.  And this is someone who has known me for a very long time and it hurts so much to think that she doesn't see it or would at least take my word for it.  Sometimes I think maybe she is a little bit jealous, because in her youth she felt a call to religious life also but didn't follow it.  None of her children go to Church anymore and she is very bitter about that too.  She says she feels she has to warn me about the possible consequences of my actions, as if I don't know following a vocation is a huge risk.  But what else can I do?  Pretend I don't feel it and hide in a corner because things might not work out? 

 

Please pray that I can forgive her skepticism and negativity and not let it ruin our relationship.  Please pray that she will understand how much I need her encouragement and that she will be happy for me that things are starting to move along a bit.  And please pray that I might know what to say to her about it (if anything) because at this point I am in so much pain I really can't even tell her how much this has hurt me.