It is sometimes said that young people today are ‘allergic’ to making a decision. ‘Keep your options open’ is a well used phrase. ‘Don’t commit, just in case something better comes along’. We can hear others (and perhaps ourselves) saying these things.
However, at some stage in life we need to make a decision and perhaps the hardest decision is the ‘big one’. What do I do with my life? Do I follow this path or that? Is my study or work going to fulfil me and make me happy and bring me peace?
If we are honest, we have all asked ourselves these questions from time to time, and maybe are even asking them now. How do we answer them?
That (overused) word, ‘discernment’ can help us. It is not just deciding what I think is best for me, it is discerning what God’s will for me is, and where I will find happiness, peace and contentment. It is in finding God’s will for my life that I will find peace. So how should I go about this ‘discernment’? A few suggestions.
Pray. Spend time getting to know the One who is calling you. Hear the voice of Jesus in the silence of prayer, in Eucharistic Adoration, in quiet contemplation of the scriptures through Lectio Divina. We first seek Christ before we seek answers. We seek to know that voice of the One who calls us.
Information. Good information in equals good decisions. If you sense that God may be calling you to a particular vocation (marriage, religious life or priesthood), get some good information and read and ponder it. Know what this vocation means. Speak to those who are living this vocation joyfully now. There is much information available on the internet or through the Vocations office.
Consult. Seek the advice of a wise spiritual guide. Consult your spiritual director and be honest about your life and your desires. This is especially true if you are discerning a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. It is engaging the Church in your discernment process and helping you to discern what God might be calling you to.
Act. Don’t sit on the fence forever. Once you have spent time in prayer and sought good advice and come to a decision, it is time to put this into practice. Entrust yourself to the Lord and to those who are guiding you. If this is the right path for you, the Lord will guide you and you will know His peace - not that it will always be easy, but you will experience a deep, interior peace of knowing that you are doing God’s will. It does require trust and a leap of faith. In the Divine Comedy, Dante famously wrote, ‘In His will is our peace’.
Through quality time spent in prayer, assisted by good information and support, we can find God’s will for our life and find peace in this world.
Author: Fr David Cartwright, Parish Priest and Moderator of Bayside Catholic Mission
