Elizabeth Seton accepted and embraced God’s will in her life. She referred to it as simply, “The Will,” and she longed to follow it. How well do we follow God’s will? For that matter, how confident are we that we really know His will for us? Sometimes I think that’s the hardest part!
Really, how do you discern what God wants for you? I remember learning that I will feel God’s will as deep desires in my heart, but that is worrisome to me. Isn’t it too easy to get those desires confused with selfish desires? I mean really, I’m an expert at rationalization. Am I alone in that?
In fact, I think that is part of the problem with pop culture today. Our young people, especially, are being sold the idea that morality is upheld by doing “what feels right.” Unfortunately, that is often interpreted as seeking instant gratification. Even worse, it leads to an attitude of “looking out for number one,” which means “I have to always do what’s best for me; you worry about you.” Where do the virtues like charity and justice fit into a “me” culture?
So I think we have to have something more reliable than just “what I feel I should do” to understand God’s will. I need to supplement the attention that I pay to my deepest desires with an educated understanding of Christian ideals and virtue. When I feel a pull toward a particular direction in life, I need some way to measure its reliability as truly God’s will instead of just a selfish desire. How do I do that?
One way to gain that insight is to study the lives of others who can be role models for living in God’s will. Who better than the saints? That is one of the benefits I hope to gain in this Everyday Catholic Woman journey. While studying about the lives of the saints, I hope to improve my ability to discern those desires that will lead me closer to God’s will.
Of course, prayer is another powerful tool at our disposal. Anyone who ever goes to church or reads about Christian ideals should know that we are all called to nurture an active prayer life. What does that mean, really? How should I do that? Honestly, it took me more than 50 years to get to a point where I really have a focus on daily prayer. If you don’t schedule it into your day, it will always be something that you hope to get around to later.
Honestly, since I started scheduling prayer into each day, my entire life has changed. My son actually told me that the family has noticed that I seem to be a happier person. A colleague at work recently noticed the same thing. Actually, I have noticed it myself. I also find that I am better able to deal with disappointments and problems in my life.
I suppose it’s no surprise that for the first time in my life, I feel like I have a good idea of what God is calling me to do. As I’ve said before, I do believe that He guided me throughout the earlier stages of my life, too. I’m sure he led me to my husband, for example. But there’s something so comforting about feeling pretty confident that I am following God’s will.
Lord God, please continue to guide us in this life. Help us to hear Your words so we might learn to follow Your will for our lives.