Every day of life that you have is a gift from God. With every gift comes responsibility. Therefore you have a responsibility to to live your life in accordance with God’s will.
“Your life is a gift, go make it count.”
In order to “make it count”, to find purpose, and to be fulfilled, we have to learn to live as God wants us to live. That means we need discernment. It’s a word that can seem scary, but all it means is to perceive or recognize—in this case, to recognize what God wants for you. Here is my process of discernment.
Four Foolproof Steps to Daily Discernment
1. Prepare Yourself
Before you can even get started you have to accept the fact that you need God and His guidance. If you think you can go it on your own, then you’re wrong and you need to figure that out first. God has an uncanny ability to bring us to our knees when we begin to worship ourselves.
Once we realize that God’s will is better for us than our own (Lk 19:26), then we can prepare ourselves for that conversation. Like any important life-changing conversation it’s important for us to be open to what He has to say. That means being the in the right frame of mind and also by entering into an environment that is conducive to prayer. If that means you go lock yourself in a quiet room with the lights off, great. For me, most often, it means going to be with Jesus face-to-face, kneeling before the tabernacle, or if possible, before His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
2. Ask God in Prayer
The best way to know what God wants is to ask Him. Obviously, right? Now that you are prepared and ready to begin the conversation, let Him know what is on your heart. Is there anything bothering you, anything you feel is preventing you from being all that He created you to be. The floor is yours, get it all out. Say whatever you think you need to say. I can’t tell you what that is. You might even want to say some written prayers to help you at this point, whatever you find works best for you in these situations.
3. Shut Up and Listen
Alright, now that you’ve got that out of the way, it’s time for you to close your mouth, quiet your mind, and listen to Him. Remember, you are asking for His take. If you are not willing to listen, you are not ready for His will. He will speak if you really listen.
“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”
There are many ways in which God can speak to us, in which He can make His will known to us. He has revealed Himself to us in Scripture and Tradition. Turning to the Bible, God’s living Word, is often a fruitful experience if the previous steps have been followed. You can open up to a random page and read. You can read the Mass readings for that day. The choice is yours. The point is that you are listening for what God is saying to you. Don’t focus on the doctrinal or theological meaning behind the text. That is Bible study, which is also good and profitable, but that’s not what this exercise is about.
If you feel God is saying something to you, then meditate on that passage and go over it again. If not, then move on to another passage. You might have to go to a few different passages if you don’t hear it right away.
4. Put It Into Practice
Now comes the hard part. Once you know what God’s will is for you, it’s time to make it a reality. Ask Him for the grace to do whatever it is that He is calling you to do and remember that He will help you achieve it. Rinse and repeat. You can and should go back and repeat this over and over, daily if possible. It makes living the Christian life so much more fruitful when you know what God wants for you.
Prepare to Be Shocked
Often times, God will call you to do something that you don’t want to do, that you don’t feel qualified to do, or that just seems impossible. This has been my experience.
Last year, I was asked to become the coordinator for the family catechism program at our parish. Whaaat!? Right away, I felt unworthy and under-qualified. I was reluctant to take on the responsibility. I told God that I didn’t feel worthy to take on such a role. Why me? So, I prayed about it, opened the Bible, and God spoke to me:
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God answered: I will be with you; and this will be your sign that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God at this mountain.”
~ Exodus 3:11-12
But I was worried it would take time away from me being with my family. My wife was pregnant at the time with our first child and I didn’t want to take on another responsibility that would prevent me from being with them. God responded clearly:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.”
~ Matthew 6:25-34
At this point, it was starting to get weird. I had never really heard God speaking to me in this way before. I told God that I was worried about how the experienced catechists would react to us taking over the program. We were new to the program and hadn’t even become very acquainted with the other catechists. We were only about a year-and-a-half into our own experience as catechists. I was also worried about our age being the youngest among the group. How would the others react to we unexperienced catechists taking over as the coordinators when they had years, even decades under their belts. I expressed my concerns to Him. Yet again, He spoke clearly:
“But the LORD answered me, Do not say, “I am too young.” To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the LORD.”
~ Jeremiah 1:6-8
Obviously, I couldn’t turn down the offer. I said yes and I’m glad I did. I still don’t feel worth or qualified sometimes, but that doesn’t matter. God has continued to speak to me and prepare me for this vocation.
Your Turn to Discern
So now that you have a process to follow, it’s your turn to get your feet wet. Dive into God’s will head-first and you won’t regret it. You might feel challenged at times, but that means you’re doing the right thing. You will grow through those challenges. He will form you more and more in His image. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. And feel free to share your thoughts or experiences on discernment in the comments below.