How do I Decide?

By -

I was reading at article in VISION (a publication of the National Religious Vocation Conference) which is packed with good stuff.  I happened to come across Unravel the mystery of your call by Sr. Julie Vieira, I.H.M. who serves from Monroe, Michigan.

The very readable article discussed steps of discernment.  What caught my attention was this:

"Whether you intentionally enter into discernment or it sneaks up on you, discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit who leads us to be aware of and attentive to how God is moving and calling us in our life."

Discernment, we sometimes think, is a sort of "figuring out."  What am I supposed to be doing?  Am I in the right job?  Is God asking something of me other than what I am doing?  And in the case of this publication, "Is God calling me to religious life?"

But I asked a popular speaker one time about discernment and she responded, "You don't have to figure it out.  It's not like a mystery to be solved.  God will show you."

That being true, one of our human characteristics tends to be to try to sort things out, and that's okay.  But what I have never heard, as in the above quote, is that discernment can sneak up on you.  I have recently had that happen so I really appreciate that perspective.

I am also grateful for the reminder that the restlessness one can experience in discernment is simply God "moving and calling us in our life."

Knowing that, makes discernment much easier, because, together with the advice about not having to figure things out, we can relax a little and see what unfolds.  Ultimately, I have found that when it is time for a decision to be made, the decision becomes pretty obvious if I have given the process time and prayer.

Too often, we want a decision NOW, because that helps us feel like we are in control, but waiting on God is always the best thing we can do, even if it takes longer than we like.

If you are struggling with a particular step in your life, maybe Sr. Julia's "big picture" of the workings of the Holy Spirit will help you gain a new perspective, as you realize that your life truly is in God's hands.  He loves each of us and guides us; our only job it to listen and follow.

May God bless you in your discernment.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com

#decisionmaking
#howtodecide
#vision

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

By -
Image
This is the image most often associated with the writings of the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit. She promoted devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. During my preparation for the retreat I am giving at the end of the month in Pantasaph, North Wales, I began reading a book by the late John Haffert (once the lay leader of the Blue Army of Fatima). His theory in the book, which speaks of God's "last effort" to convert the world before the coming chastisement, is that we are now living in the third or fourth "day" of the Fatima week. At this time, according to Haffert, we should be promoting devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also consulted another book by Dr. Courtnay Bartholomew (whom I have been privileged to meet) which also speaks of the importance of this devotion, linking it with the writings and visions of the mystic Berthe Petit, and the importance of the full title of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. These things will feature in
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more