EXPLORE
YOUR FAITH
How
can I know what God wants me to do with my life?
A
good, but tough question. The question seems to imply that there
is only one path for one’s life, one road less traveled.
Probably this question emerges out of wrestling with “vocational” issues.
So, lets go at it this way. I have a hunch that we tend to confuse
the “vocation” of one’ life with the “occupations” of
one’s life. Vocation has to do with responding, as best
we know how — some days pretty well and some days pretty
poorly — to the prodding, urging, nudging, whispers which
emerge from the Voice in the shrubs that burn in one's life. “Occupations” are
how one lives out the whispers of a Voice, the nudging of a shadow.
It might be that it takes the form of plumber or priest, banker
or environmentalist, caregiver or caretaker. The point is, it
doesn’t matter which — it only matters how. As
Robert Frost would say to college students: “It
doesn’t matter what course you take. Simply hang around
until you catch the Spirit, or the Spirit catches you.”
--The
Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey
If
we are talking about life in broad terms, the answer is fairly
obvious. The call of God is always for us to live with noble
purpose, with love as our highest motivation. We are in the world
to develop ourselves to our highest potential and to make the
greatest possible contribution to the world. Anything, therefore,
that contributes to our total well-being and to the well-being
of others is clearly the will of God.
If,
however, the question is about what God wants me to do about
the daily decisions of my life, the answer is not so clear. My
own opinion is that God would probably want us to change the
question—"What do I deep inside want to do with my life?" This
calls in question the idea that God has a master plan for every
life and all we have to do is find out the details. Nothing is
left to me except to discover what has already been laid out
for me in advance. This does not fit my idea of human freedom.
When God created humankind in the divine image, the highest expression
of that image is the power to be a decision maker. In this sense,
one is never complete, but is always being formed by the decisions
we make. If this be true, God
casts the responsibility on us to choose that which is best for
us. These choices come inevitably from the judgments we make
about what reflects our highest selves.
Each
one of us is a unique person, with gifts, abilities and desires
that give us the opportunities for creativity. To discover who
we are and what those deep desires of our hearts mean gives us
the clue to making decisions about what we do with our lives.
If we choose wisely, we will experience the joy of growing a
self and offering it as a source of strength to others. This
does not mean that God is not with us in the critical moments
of decision-making. Through prayer and meditation, we have access
into the divine Presence that provides guidance and inspiration.
God is never so pleased as when we stand up and make a moral
decision that reflects our desire to live at the highest and
most useful level attainable.
--The
Rev. Dr. Brooks Ramsey
Interpretation
is one of the truly beautiful things about the Christian religion.
True, God has decreed that certain mandates must not be broken
(i.e., The Ten Commandments). Yet even if these are broken, a
child of God will be absolved by asking for God's forgiveness.
Apart
from the absolutes that God has handed down to us, He has also
left each Christian with decisions about his or her life that
must be determined by the individual. God does, in fact, know
the path that our lives will take, eventually—He is the only
omniscient being. But he trusts each of us to choose a path for
our lives that is in accordance with his holy plan for us. If
we stray from that path, God will try to lead us back to it.
It is this sort of daily salvation that strengthens our bond
with our Father.
--Meg
I
think it's difficult for most of us to know whether we're following
God's Will or our own in our vocation. However, I believe that
through prayer and by studying God's Will for how we should live,
as shown through the example of Jesus, we eventually will push
aside our own willfulness and get a glimpse of the direction
God would prefer that we travel.
--Ann
I
feel inadequate to answer this question since I'm not sure
I'm doing what God wants me to do. I do know there are
certain things I'm supposed to do that I do not do. Scripture
says that everything is summed up in the commandment that we love
God first, above all else, and that we love other people as
we love ourselves. Do that and you fulfill all of God's requirements (Matthew
36:37-40).
I
used to read those verses and think doing God's Will was beautifully
simple. Then I began to realize what this passage really means.
I do not put God first in everything I do. I usually put myself
first. That's exactly the opposite of what we are called to do.
Christ is the ultimate example. He, who is Himself also God,
put aside everything and was utterly selfless to the point of
sacrificing his life for me. Wow. I'm a long way from being able
to do that. Yet if I truly loved God with all my heart and soul
I would be willing to do so.
Am
I doing what God wants me to do with my life? In some areas,
I'm making progress. Working on this Web site is a great blessing.
I think God wants me to do things like this. I think God wants
me try to know Him better. I find that I really do love God more
and more as I learn more about Him. I truly believe God helps
me when I try to put Him first.
--Nick |
