What’s God want me to do?

Ever asked that?

Join the club...

Since the most important thing many of us will do today is attempt to hear God’s voice.

After all, hearing God’s voice is arguably the most important, and thus most difficult job, you and I have. We suspect this because the water we swim is one of unprecedented distraction, diversion, and detour. The ‘worldly forces’ that St. Paul and others warn us against are hard at work in the ways they seek to keep good people from doing good things. We see these forces tirelessly laboring, many of them economic, that have strong, vested interests, in you and I reciting their scripts.

But the heart of the spiritual life is hearing and heeding our own scripts. You know, that little voice inside that only you can hear. It’s steered you right before, and it seeks to do so again. As the Book of Proverbs says, ‘the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord.’ We know  God guides, directs, advises, and channels the Spirit through us. Indeed, we are God’s home.

This fits in neatly with what we’re up to on Sunday. It’s ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ - fittingly, it’s our Bishop’s visitation. He's our shepherd and even has the shepherd’s crook to prove it. Bishops embody for us the presence of the One who loves, cares and guides us.

However, if you’re like me, you may wish God spoke a bit louder and clearer at times. Because that doesn’t always happen, and because the continual job of the growing Christian is discernment, I’ve found it helpful to parse and test the voices.

I’ve jotted down some questions I’ve found helpful in making up my mind as we decide, ‘is this me or is this God?’ As I’m thinking about direction, I ask:

• Which alternative gives the most peace?
• What do your friends say?
• What do those closest to you think?
• Looking at a longitudinal map of your life, how does it fit in?
• Does it ‘feel’ right?
• Does it elicit feelings of dream or nightmare?
• Does it excite you?
• Does it depress you?
• What does it feel like in the morning? Night? Next week?
• Does it sound like ‘God’ or ‘me’?
• Is it a ‘hard road’ or an ‘easy road?’ (Many times, God leads us on the hard one)
• And finally, to the best of your ability imagine, were Jesus sitting near you, what would he say?

Know that the prayers of your priest, parish leaders, and bishop are with you as you do this hard work, the continual spiritual discipline of discernment.