God's will.

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Can anyone give a suggestion on how to discern what God’s will is? My wife and I live in a VERY expensive, VERY liberal area (Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.) and she was born here. Her entire family lives here, and all of them think that we are “too Catholic.” Mostly because we go to Mass every Sunday, we try to raise our kids in a Catholic manner, we practice NFP, and we believe and accept everything the Church teaches. My whole family live is an affordable, extremely Catholic area (Louisville, KY), where I was born and raised. My family accepts the faith and follows it, but they try to make me feel guilty about not living in KY on an almost daily basis.

The problem is that I have a really good job where we live now, and my house is now worth less than we owe on it, which makes it hard to move. Another factor is that we DO NOT want to send our kids to public schools, especially in the area in which we live. Catholic schools are VERY expensive where we live, and they offer no discounts for siblings (which makes it very difficult if you plan on having a lot of kids and you aren’t rich), so we are considering homeschooling although we are not totally sold on the idea yet. In KY catholic schools are affordable, and they offer great discounts for siblings. But it may be hard to get a job in KY.

Basically I want to know how to discern God’s will for me and my family. Are there any books out there that help you to find God’s will? Any sermons or talks that help you to understand what God’s plan is for you?
 
My dear friend, you asked for God’s will but in which area? You of course want what is best for your family but there are some areas you might need to pray about on the way to discernment: I put them in the text of your post
paul11b said:
Can anyone give a suggestion on how to discern what God’s will is? My wife and I live in a VERY expensive, VERY liberal area (Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.) and she was born here. Her entire family lives here, and all of them think that we are “too Catholic.” Mostly because we go to Mass every Sunday, we try to raise our kids in a Catholic manner, we practice NFP, and we believe and accept everything the Church teaches.

**How does your wife’s family know what seems like very private, detailed information like NFP? Do you care that you are considered “too Catholic” by your in-laws?
**

My whole family live is an affordable, extremely Catholic area (Louisville, KY), where I was born and raised. My family accepts the faith and follows it, but they try to make me feel guilty about not living in KY on an almost daily basis.

There is an old Dear Abby quote that says “no one makes us feel guilty without our permission”. Is that what your family is doing? You describe your own family as much more “orthodox” than your wife’s – is this really true or an mental gymnastics to “justify” a relocation to Kentucky?

The problem is that I have a really good job where we live now, and my house is now worth less than we owe on it, which makes it hard to move. Another factor is that we DO NOT want to send our kids to public schools, especially in the area in which we live. Catholic schools are VERY expensive where we live, and they offer no discounts for siblings (which makes it very difficult if you plan on having a lot of kids and you aren’t rich), so we are considering homeschooling although we are not totally sold on the idea yet. In KY catholic schools are affordable, and they offer great discounts for siblings. But it may be hard to get a job in KY.

**These are very important issues but… will KY be the panacea of Catholic education your think it is? Homeschooling may still be an option wherever you live? Your responsibility as a husband is BOTH the spiritual and material welfare of the family – where are you putting your family at the greater risk? Are you and your wife prepared to make the necessary choices and understand what those choices (sacrifices) will be – not just in theory but lived out everyday in your marriage life.
**
Basically I want to know how to discern God’s will for me and my family. Are there any books out there that help you to find God’s will? Any sermons or talks that help you to understand what God’s plan is for you?
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Be open to the readings at Mass (daily and Sunday). It is amazing what can happen when we put ourselves in a state open to the Lord.
 
If you step out in faith desiring to do God’s will He will guide your steps by opening and closing doors.

For example: I got fired from my job (ironically because of my religion), I was without work for a month. So, without knowing how, I set out to open my own business. I had no money, but I just took action. I started by looking for a place to rent. That very day, I received a call from a woman asking me to come work for her. The real estate agent was one of her customers and told her I was looking for a place to work. See, how God works.

Start making plans, take action on the plans, and then let God move you where He wants. You can NEVER go wrong when you place your trust in God. God is like GPS, He puts in the coordinates of where you are supposed to go. If you take a wrong turn, he just keeps giving you new directions to get where you are meant to be. It’s awesome! You can get there from any direction.

Have fun!
 
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