God's will for your life vs. your choices

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First of all, only God knows such things. We can only wonder and ponder. We’ll never truly know.

In my belief, God gives us direction by speaking through those that love us. Which is why we’ll sometimes hear or read something that truly speaks to us. God has a certain will for us but it is up to us to make the choices. We could pick the wrong choice, such as not believing in Him anymore. If we wanted to do that, God probably will allow it because He attempted to give good guidance. It was our choice to do the wrong thing.
 
RHannosh619 said:
…If this was not the case, and God “meant” for everyone to be a certain way/thing then this would mean we did not have free will…
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I don’t think so. The bible says that God has a plan for our future. Whether we choose to follow his plan or not does not change the fact that he has a plan for us.

God has a plan for us. He has also given us free will. The best choice is to choose God’s plan.
 
Personally I’ve found that it depends on the choice you are making whether or not there is an exact right and wrong thing to do or whether He will bless either choice. An example of each in my life.
I know that God’s will is for me to become a religious Sister at some point in my life. I also know that it is not His will that I do that right now. When I was trying to figure out what He wants me to do this coming year I had it down to two choices: staying in my home town, living with my parents going to community college or staying at the Madonna House for at a year. I was on a retreat praying about this choice and I was really distraught about it because I had no idea which one I was supposed to do. I finally realized that it didn’t matter which one I did, that God would bless either choice I made. So I chose the one that I wanted to do the most.
I hope that helps some. I will be praying for you.

JMJ+
~Betsy

Totus tuus Maria! Let’s see what the good God wills.
 
Sherry_G said:
God’s will for us is for our eternal union with Him. What profession we decide is the best one for us matters not one whit to Him. We can pick any occupation, its how we live our lives that matter. Choosing Him and obeying His commandments, following Jesus’ ways as He set them out for us during his several year ministry are God’s will for each one of us. Jesus left us His Church to guide us and His Divine Word.

We have free will to operate as we see fit, whether we are store clerks, librarians, maintenance laborers, doctors, engineers, mothers, fathers, priests, nuns, etc. None of these occupational choices have pride of place. St. Josemaria Escriva founded Opus Dei on the principle that each one of us is called to do God’s work here on earth.

So far in my life, I have had four different occupations, and have made choices that took me far away from God at times and choices that have thankfully brought me back to Him. Invite Him to be with you, guide you and tell Him you want always to please Him in everything you do. He will never leave you, but you can walk away from Him anytime you make that choice.

Compare your career choice to a make of car. Any one will take you down the road as long as you follow the rules of the road, don’t speed or drive on the wrong side of the street. This is my thought as I am now in what most would call “the golden years” !
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My understanding of free will is to choose either to do it God’s way or our way. Free will has a consequence. Reward or punishment.

I believe God can call us to pursue specific careers. Some careers might bring us closer to God while others might just do the opposite. And that makes a big difference.
 
missyfatcat said:
I used to think he did. However, if that were so, then how do divorces and remarriage factor in?
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Nice question. I will tell you what I think. Divorce and Remarriage do not fall under God’s original plan.

I just posted that, free will has a consequence. The best choice is to choose God’s plan. If we choose God’s plan/will, there will be no divorce and remarriage, I believe.

If Adam and Eve had chosen God’s will, there would have never been death. (Hence, there would have never been anything like remarriage.)
 
I think God has a plan for us, but He’ll “roll with it” if we decide to do something else that can still glorify Him. I believe that, if He wants it and we pray about it, He will show us His will. When He designed us, He gave each of us specific talents, abilities, preferences, strengths, etc. and I think all of those play a part in His original plan. But, if we choose to go with something else, be it a result of not discerning His will or deciding against it, He will respect our decision and focus on strengthening our devotion and love for Him. As you’ve all been saying, we have free will. If God can handle whipping up a “Plan B” after the original Fall, he can certainly figure something out when we choose a different career. Also as most of you have said, God is not so much interested in our career as spending eternity with us, because He loves and wants us so much.

God bless!
 
Read this. It has been around for more than 300 years.

Finding God’s Will For You by St. Francis de Sales; Sophia Press Institute
 
HeWillProvide said:
Just how detailed is God’s will for our lives?
Is God’s will detailed,
like, you will work as a teacher for 5 years and then at age 29 you will change careers and then at age 39 you will marry and then change careers at age 42.

Or does God just say, okay, well, here are the tools I gave you, now I will just support whatever you choose to do? (Instead of, you will be a mom/teacher/doctor/etc.)

I’m having a hard time differentiating between making choices for our lives and doing God’s will.
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My personal belief is that we are the makers of our own destiny on earth.What is of primary importance is that we are following the Doctrine of Jesus Christ which will evetually lead us to eternal salvation.We are endowed with certain talents which we should make use of to the utmost.If your talents are in the acadamic field we should decide on the best profession that gives you satisfaction in every sense.If you are in Management or any other field make the right decision God will not decide for you.Having said that you need protection from evil forces to achieve your Goal and that is where God comes in and protects you.Prayer to the Holy Spirit every day in my personal experience has benn of great help but you must have faith and be close to God.
 
This is one of the most central questions that is pondered over century after century by people like us and priests, scholars, theologians, and anyone who loves God. I have a philosophizing friend who loves to say, “God does not micro-manage the world.” meaning God does not cause it to snow the day you were going for an interview for job A so that you’ll miss the interview, so that you don’t work at job A because he wants you to take a boat and go to India and work with the poor, etc. etc…No, no, no God does not work that way even tho it might seem so at times. God has placed before us the Great Commandments: Love God with all your soul, mind, heart, etc, (because of who God is; not so you can get something out of it), and love your neighbor as yourself (for Love of God). Also remember the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, and our Purpose-know, love, and serve Him. Learning, absorbing, and being an example of the Love of Christ is the big thing. It doesn’t matter where you live, what career you have (except don’t be an abortionist…), or whatever, as long as you put forth these great commandements the best way you can. Be the Love of Christ to everyone you contact and that is enough! The rest are just small details. When people say “God will provide”, I have a tough time with this. Is God going to provide me a car when Ih ave no way of getting a car? Doubtful, but maybe God will find me rides or other transportation? God has already provided! God set us here in the midst of a garden full of healthy plants for food, clean water to drink, fresh air to breathe, an endless variety of natural things to study and keep us busy-----He has provided everything we need already. It is we who have mucked all that up and ruined that wonderful way of living which he planned for us. 🙂
 
The other dimension to all of this is in one of Paul’s letters. There are many gifts for the one Body. Each of us has been given a gift-or maybe more than 1-so that we can contribute to the Body of Christ. What do you love to do? What type of contribution to God’s work would you do for free if you didn’t need a paycheck? Can you find a need for it? Then do it. Service for our Lord happens wherever something we love to do intersects with a need someone has.
 
Here are some quotes from very reliable persons (Saint Gregory was a monastic, Saint Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists, and Saint Vincent de Paul was a priest) I found particularly helpful (I feel called to the religious life, and I think most of us have similar questions/worries):

St. Gregory Nazianzen: “I hold that the choice of a state in life is so important, that it decides for the remainder of our life, whether our conduct will be good or bad.”

St. Alphonsus: “If, in the choice of a state of life, we wish to secure our eternal salvation, we must embrace that state to which God calls us; in which alone God prepares for us the efficacious means necessary to our salvation… God gives to every one his vocation and chooses the state in which he wills him to be saved.”

St. Alphonsus: “It is evident that our eternal salvation depends principally on the choice of our state in life.”

St. Vincent de Paul: “It is very difficult, not to say impossible, to save one’s self in a place, or in a state, in which God does not wish one to be.”

Pax
 
You see, the little problem I have with those arguments saying that God doesn’t have a plan for your job is this: what about those who are called to be diocesan priests, cloistered nuns, etc? Certainly the vocation to ordained, married, or single life is not totally separate from the choice of careers, because some of those vocations [as in the ones I have mentioned above] make it impossible to seek out a career, no matter how much talent and/or expertise the person may have. Are there not priests who would have liked to be professional musicians, or sisters who would have been chemists? I think God definitely has a calling for every person.

God bless!!
 
Sherry_G said:
We have free will to operate as we see fit, whether we are store clerks, librarians, maintenance laborers, doctors, engineers, mothers, fathers, priests, nuns, etc. None of these occupational choices have pride of place.
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Being a priest or a nun or brother is **not **an “occupational choice.” A vocation means, etymologically, a call. Yes, God does choose some people to be priests, or to live the consecrated religious life and it is a special and particular call. It’s on a totally different level than deciding whether to be a librarian or a doctor.
 
Student09 said:
Being a priest or a nun or brother is **not **an “occupational choice.” A vocation means, etymologically, a call. Yes, God does choose some people to be priests, or to live the consecrated religious life and it is a special and particular call. It’s on a totally different level than deciding whether to be a librarian or a doctor.
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While I certainly agree that religious life is not quite an occupation, it is inherently full-time (religious life) and removes the option (in most cases) of becoming, for example, a librarian or doctor. It is perhaps on a different level, but I think it’s just the decision that comes before having to find one’s profession.
 
Nabby said:
While I certainly agree that religious life is not quite an occupation, it is inherently full-time (religious life) and removes the option (in most cases) of becoming, for example, a librarian or doctor. It is perhaps on a different level, but I think it’s just the decision that comes before having to find one’s profession.
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Yes. One discerns one’s state in life, and then the details proper to that state - nursing sister or missionary or cloistered, doctor or teacher, etc. It is also worth noting that one’s state in life, once the vows have been made, doesn’t change, but one’s profession can.

A person who is trying to decide between being a doctor and a cloistered nun is really trying to discern whether she is called to be secular (married/single) or a religious. That is the fundamental decision present. The fact that she sees being a doctor as her primary option should she discern that she is not called to religious life, is accidental to the real choice. Am I making sense now? :o
 
I think God calls all Catholics to be a priest or religious but it is a preference not a command. Just read in the New Testament where we are told it is better not to marry so that we can dedicate ourselves more to God. Of course He knows that we are not all going to choose to become priests or religious… or even that we will be found by vocational directors to be suitable for such a calling (whether due to lack of education, temperament etc).

I also believe that we have choice and we generally choose directions where our (God given) talents and interests lead us… as wonderfully discussed in the contributions to this thread above.

His will is that we love Him with all our hearts and love our neighbour as ourself.

As an aside, some people take up the calling as priest or religious after living years in some other profession… even after having been married.
 
I definitely have to disagree with the comments said about priests or nuns not being able to have an occupation. I have 2 friends that are nuns, and they both go to college, one is studying media, and the other is studying math, in hopes to teach others at the church. Lets not forget about the catholic schools in which nuns are a huge part of teaching.

And a lot of priests end up being professors, and if they are not professors at schools then they are professors in the church, simply by the sermons they give.

So other than these occupations (teacher, math, etc) They are bound to there “full-time” religious life. I don’t know about you but I think a priest is a pretty difficult profession(occupation), and not anyone can be one.
 
RHannosh619 said:
I definitely have to disagree with the comments said about priests or nuns not being able to have an occupation. .
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Nobody said that they are not able to have an occupation, what was said is that being a priest, monk or nun is not, itself, an occupational choice. It is a state of life. Like being married is a state of life. You wouldn’t say that being married is “an occupational choice,” would you?

I don’t understand why this is so hard to grasp. :confused:
 
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