All Your Heart’s Desire

All Your Heart’s Desire

All Your Heart’s Desire
“Be delighted with the Lord.
Then he will give you all your heart’s desires.”
Psalm 34:4 (TLB)

            I was at West Virginia University for summer school when one of my girlfriends invited me to a Tuesday night prayer meeting. When I didn’t accept the invitation, she kept on. “Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go,” she insisted. Halfway through the summer, I agreed.

            The first night I went to the Newman Center, the center for Catholic WVU campus ministry, the church was packed by 250 college students in the middle of summer! The church was called Light of Life.

            A young man played his guitar at the front of the church. I was so attracted to his peacefulness. Even though I had a solid Christian base, I’ve always had a churning within me but, as I listened to him play so serenely, I felt at peace myself.

            At the end of the prayer meeting, the young man walked down the aisle. When he saw me, he said, “Hi.” I said, “Hi,” in return, and I never saw him again until school started in the fall. I’d later learn that my first night at Light of Life was his only night. The center needed a guitar player that Tuesday, and he’d volunteered. I became a regular attendee that summer hoping to see him again. I didn’t even know his name.

            Although I was in a sorority and already had many friends, I began to make new ones from my involvement with the Newman Center. When Joseph Maiocco (that was his name!) returned to campus that fall, we gravitated toward one another doing things together with a group of on-fire Christians. On Friday nights, we ministered at Kennedy Youth Center, a low security prison for youthful offenders. We never really dated. We just were friends, but our friendship grew until we both knew it was something special.

            Just before spring break, Joe said he thought we should both pray while we were away from one another, asking God to help us discern his will for us. While I went away with my sorority for spring break, Joe went to a monastery!

            When we returned to campus to complete the term, Joe asked me what I felt the Lord was telling us to do. “You go first,” I told him, holding my breath. He said he felt the Lord was telling us that we’re going to be together, that we should commit to each other.

            “I believe that, too,” I said, releasing my breath and smiling. From that time to this, through many trials and triumphs, we’ve been a good team.  Not perfect, but committed. Committed to one another and to the God who continually gives us all the desires of our hearts.  Janet Maiocco