Barriers To Finding Out God's Will and Overcoming them

[Praying7]

Hi CAF,

After reading several threads mostly on vocation, I noticed that many people are faced with difficulties discerning their vocations which is basically finding out God’s Will in one’s life. As a young person, I know that this can be tormenting and frustrating especially if nothing seems to be where you are meant to be or when situations come up and one is prevented from what they thought was their path in life.

I’m starting this thread with the hope that different people will come and discuss what they know or think prevents one from seeing their vocation, what a vocation is and how one can get back on track or stay on track. Also personal experiences on vocation and how one faced and managed to overcome challenges would really build this thread. However I wish to state here that the best way to know God’s Will is through prayer, frequenting the sacraments and spiritual direction. This thread is not there to replace this! It is there to help people better understand the whole idea and to even challenge and discuss freely. I also would highly encourage people referring to reference material to cite it so that others can read from them.

Please feel free to contribute and please be very clear, keeping ideas and experiences within their contexts.

Thank you,
Praying7

 

[Christy_Beth]

Ok, my vocation? As of now, it’s being a single person. A single lay person. When I first became a Catholic, I wanted to be a Carmelite nun with all my heart. I still wish I could have become one. But my age and health, which is less than perfect, stand in the way. I’ve had a hard time adjusting to it, but I try to be comfortable and “sit tight” for the moment. I do still pray for insight in what to do and how to react to various situations in my life. It’s an ongoing process. My biggest problem right now is the lack of patience that gets me into doing things that turn out bad.

 

[littlepiglet]

Right now I’m trying to discerning my vocation also. I am a teenage girl and there are many distractions for me, I want to listen to what Gods plans are for me even though it can be tough. I don’t totally know which direction I should go in right now, but I think what helps me when I’m having trouble is to write down in a notebook to God how my life is or what made me happy that day, or even list the things I want to do the next day, it’s like IMing God sometimes because I write down a prayer that spoke to me or something bad that happened and then I remember these sayings and stuff and write them down and it really looks like a chat log with God hahah. This has helped me be closer with God and with my Vocation search at the moment.

 

[thunderboom]

This is going to sound really cliché, but I’m learning that it’s mainly the busy-ness of my everyday life that keeps me from getting closer to God and discerning His will. Between school and work, I have very little time for anything - which makes one wonder what I’m doing on these forums - and so it’s a struggle to find the time and place to quiet my mind and listen to God. Thankfully, I know that He wants me to enter the seminary after I graduate, so that’s taken care of; but it’s still hard to find His will for everyday things, relationships, work, chores, etc., when I don’t spend enough time in prayer. One can’t become a saint just by searching for God’s overall Big Plan in your life; you have to seek Him in the small things, and listen for that still, small voice.

 

[Praying7]

There is a book called, ‘How To Get My Life Right?’. It begins with describing vocation as an encounter. And in order to really encounter something or anyone, there are certain conditions required. One of them is openess.

When we meet a person sometimes we are so determined to tell them the latest news especially if they are close friend. The conversation could start like this,‘You will never believe what happened to me!’ or ‘I have something really important to tell you’ or ‘Guess what happened’. I think this could be an example of a barrier especially when it comes to vocation. There is nothing wrong with telling your friend stuff but there is something wrong with always being the one talking and everything is about you. This doesn’t open you to an opportunity to really getting to know your friend. Usually when your friend does something you never imagined they could do, it shocks you. For example, if she dyed her hair red or he actually choose to play tennis. May be you never really got to know them. May be you weren’t open to their uniqueness, their likes and dislikes. your view was limited to just ME.

Vocation means becoming less me centered and more others centered. Every vocation is just about that loving God and loving others. It is a way through which you love God and you love others. Sometimes I think that we get so engrossed in finding out our vocation that we forget it’s about LOVE. I don’t clearly remember but there is a book called,‘Personal Vocation’. I’m so sorry but I forgot the authors. However it says that vocation is not solely about the state of life a person chooses. That is, marriage, apostolic celibacy, priesthood or religious life. What if you die right now while being confused about which one to pick? Does that mean you have been living a purposeless life all along? I don’t think so. As the reply above mine states, God speaks in the little things that happen each day, in a small voice. The focus should be on me, my and mine but on her, he, and they. You are so focused on my vocation while abandoning everyone around you seeing them as a complete waste of time and as obstacles to YOUR plans. Why not try getting out of yourself and seeing the needs of those around you. When you learn to love them , you learn to love God. It is important to realize that God has a specific plan for you but if it leads you to be more locked within yourself, there is something wrong. As I said earlier, the best way to know God’s Will is to pray, to frequent the sacraments and to go for spiritual direction. What I have said could be off or apply differently to each case, that why it’s best to consider this with someone who knows you well.

I’ll pray for all young people trying to find God’s Will. Thanks to all those who have contributed.

 

[Praying7]

This is going to sound really cliché, but I’m learning that it’s mainly the busy-ness of my everyday life that keeps me from getting closer to God and discerning His will.

Why don’t you try making little appointments with God? Do 15 minutes of prayer in the morning, 10 minutes of gospel reading at midday and do a decade of the rosary every 2 hours. Then try to keep presence of God by putting a picture of Our Lady or Our Lord or putting a crucifix on your desk as you’re working. So once in a while, you can glance at it and say something small then continue doing your work. St. Josemaria says that,‘An hour of study is an hour of prayer.’ It can lead you closer to God.