God's will vs. our will?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dove51
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dove51

Guest
A few weeks ago my priest was giving his homily on vocations, and encouraging children to ask what God wants them to do. This made me wonder. Are what we want and what God wants for us always in agreement? Does God’s choice of vocation for us always coincide with our own desires?

Say someone wants to get married, and has always felt a strong desire to serve God, to love, and be loved in that way. Is it possible that God would choose a vocation for them like single or religious life, even though this person wanted marriage?

Does that make any sense? I hope I worded it all right.
 
dove51 said:
A few weeks ago my priest was giving his homily on vocations, and encouraging children to ask what God wants them to do. This made me wonder. Are what we want and what God wants for us always in agreement? Does God’s choice of vocation for us always coincide with our own desires?

Say someone wants to get married, and has always felt a strong desire to serve God, to love, and be loved in that way. Is it possible that God would choose a vocation for them like single or religious life, even though this person wanted marriage?

Does that make any sense? I hope I worded it all right.
Click to expand...
If I understood your question correctedly, I know what you are getting at. In my experience, it comes down to this - God knows us better than we know ourselves. He wants the absolute best for us, though sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. However, when we surrender to God and are open to the working of His grace in our lives, the end result is more wonderful than we could imagine, though it may mean we follow a completely different path than the one we would have chosen for ourselves.

On a personal note, for most of my life, I have wanted to get married and have children. This year, I went through a time of going back and forth with God about that; the thought of not have a family of my own was very difficult. When I stopped fighting Him and was honest with myself about who God made me to be and my reasons for wanting a family, I now have a joy and peace about the fact I am likely called to be single (I am also discerning whether I may called to religious life, but I have at least two or three or more years to discern that, as I am only just entering into full communion with the Church this Easter).
 
dove51 said:
A . Are what we want and what God wants for us always in agreement? Does God’s choice of vocation for us always coincide with our own desires?

t.
Click to expand...
depends on our overall habit of life, if we are spiritually conditioned by prayer and the sacraments to listening to and discerning God’s will in all areas of life, we will be so inclined in discerning vocation. if our spiritual habit is one of laziness, self-will, disobedience and pride, it will be much much harder to quiet our own will and listen to God’s
 
I think that God’s will coincides with our own true will. I know someone, who at the beginning of his discernment, because he felt that God was calling him to the religious life, prayered to God saying that he wants to be married, but let God’s will be done. Over time and discernment, he came to the point where he wants nothing else then to serve God as a priest.

I feel my discernment has been the same. I don’t think God wants us to feel anxiety and a hate of our vocation.
 
This is the best way Ive heard it put and it goes something like this.
At the wedding at Cana, Jesus told the servers to fill the jars with water. But the servers wanted wine. They followed Jesus’ orders and in the end, they got their wine.
The moral of the story is this, while God’s plans may not be what we want at first, if we follow his plans it will work out for the best in the long run. We will always be happiest doing God’s will.
 
anyone here familiar with Ignatian Spirituality?

“…the evil spirit speaks only to the imagination and the senses, whereas the good spirit acts upon reason and conscience.”
cited in Catholic Encyclopedia

the tools of discernment are fully given upon receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (confirmation or chrismation), so while sometimes it seems impossible to know what God’s will for us exactly is, often we simply need to take time out and do some “soul searching”. the answer is always singular, objective, and “to intensify love for God.”

as such, it is reasonable (God will not want you to do something you’re not capable of) and conscientious (as St Augustine says, the conscience is the Holy Spirit working in us, the conscience speaks as God’s voice to us). both require some deeper thought and meditation - activities often precluded by our daily urban lives. prayer - far from being just discipline in the traditional sense - can give us that daily personal time with God, to grow closer to Him so we can hear His voice with greater clarity.

and btw… i happen to think that marriage is a tougher vocation than the religious life. dedicating yourself fully to God is a much surer way to heaven! being married means you have to face the challenges and temptations of the secular world with just one person as your guide - and you will eventually also have to guide your young ones. how many of us are ready for that? the typical religious life supplies you with both a religious community and a spiritual director - ideal social conditions for seeking God. or are we merely stuck on the idea of celibacy? remember: even the married are called to a chaste life (CCC 2349), so marriage is not to be seen as a “ticket for sex.” which all the more makes marriage a tough vocation!
 
It is certainly helpful even advisable if one is having problems discerning one’s call or vocation in life to enter into a process of spiritual direction and with a trained spiritual director. …Blessings - Barb:)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top