C
Cyceri
Guest
I’ve recently been discerning where to go to college, and lately it has been between Ball State University (secular) and Marian College (Catholic), both in Indiana.
About a week ago, I was praying about it and came to the conclusion that it must be Marian. Later that week, though, I was really struggling, wanting my way and all (sigh), and informally hoped for some outward sign of God’s will in this matter. That evening, I was listening to Catholic radio and they were talking about Catholic colleges. Someone called in and started talking about how so many secular colleges don’t get credit for their faith communities when this person had experienced for herself that many secular schools even have better Catholic faith communities. I was surprised at how relevant this Catholic segment was, and I only listen to Catholic radio for about 15 minutes per day, so it was pretty unlikely that I would hear it. The next morning at daily mass, I saw one of my friends, and she said that she had decided to go to Ball State. I took these events as signs, but shortly thereafter, I had a nagging feeling that I wasn’t doing God’s will. I prayed about it and eventually came to a strong inner conviction that God was calling me to go to Marian College.
I’m really confused now. Were these events signs or coincidences? If they were signs, were they signs from God or perhaps from the evil one? Which is more important to pay attention to: outer signs or inner conviction? I almost feel that I can’t trust my own ability to discern…
Just to let you know, I am not asking anyone to discern this for me. I would just like to know (in general) whether, in the process of discernment, a person should look for outward signs, whether God gives signs often (especially if we ask for them), and whether Satan can give apparent signs too. I’m offering my difficulty as an example.
About a week ago, I was praying about it and came to the conclusion that it must be Marian. Later that week, though, I was really struggling, wanting my way and all (sigh), and informally hoped for some outward sign of God’s will in this matter. That evening, I was listening to Catholic radio and they were talking about Catholic colleges. Someone called in and started talking about how so many secular colleges don’t get credit for their faith communities when this person had experienced for herself that many secular schools even have better Catholic faith communities. I was surprised at how relevant this Catholic segment was, and I only listen to Catholic radio for about 15 minutes per day, so it was pretty unlikely that I would hear it. The next morning at daily mass, I saw one of my friends, and she said that she had decided to go to Ball State. I took these events as signs, but shortly thereafter, I had a nagging feeling that I wasn’t doing God’s will. I prayed about it and eventually came to a strong inner conviction that God was calling me to go to Marian College.
I’m really confused now. Were these events signs or coincidences? If they were signs, were they signs from God or perhaps from the evil one? Which is more important to pay attention to: outer signs or inner conviction? I almost feel that I can’t trust my own ability to discern…
Just to let you know, I am not asking anyone to discern this for me. I would just like to know (in general) whether, in the process of discernment, a person should look for outward signs, whether God gives signs often (especially if we ask for them), and whether Satan can give apparent signs too. I’m offering my difficulty as an example.
Welcome to CAF! Golly, this is a tough question. And one that we all face… at some times in our lives. I wish there was an easy answer.