Why and how do young people decide that they want to dedicate their entire lives to "God"?

[evolutionist01]

This thread has been continued from several postings on the teen vocation forum. Because I simply doubt so many aspects of Catholicism and Christianity, I find it odd that someone actually wants to dedicate their life to what may or may not exist. I realize that many of you are very devout in your faith, but I hope that you can let fact and intellect influence your response. I just don’t want people to continuously say, “God does exist! I heard his call! He’s real!!!” when there is no way that someone can actually prove his existence. Anyways, I am interested to see your responses.

Thanks,
evolutionist01

 

[Tezza]

Welcome.

I hope you allow us to let faith influence our answers, which CAN work with fact and intellect

I don’t think you’ll find the answers you are seeking here since what most of us feel when called to religious life is very personal. It is a longing within our hearts comparable to the longing you feel when in love and you want to spend as much time as possible with your beloved. Just like you can’t see or prove love exists, so too the call to religious life and the gift of faith cannot be seen.

How can we be in love with someone we don’t see? That’s a very good question. What I can tell you is that the gift of faith is powerful and the emotion of love is powerful. Imagine all of the sudden your leg starts itching. You feel it, you want to scratch it, but you try to deny it itches. Does it make the itch any less real because you don’t want to acknowledge it?

To address the comment about giving things up, indeed from a secular point of view, it is a great sacrifice. Again, I must use the “in love” analogy. If your beloved lived in another state away from your friends and family, it is a sacrifice for you to leave what you know, yet at the same time, it is a small price to pay to be with the one you love.

I hope you find what you are seeking. The fact that you are searching means something is going on within you. Can you honestly ask yourself the question…is this of God, even though I don’t really believe in a specific god?

Peace.

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

This thread has been continued from several postings on the teen vocation forum. Because I simply doubt so many aspects of Catholicism and Christianity, I find it odd that someone actually wants to dedicate their life to what may or may not exist. I realize that many of you are very devout in your faith, but I hope that you can let fact and intellect influence your response. I just don’t want people to continuously say, “God does exist! I heard his call! He’s real!!!” when there is no way that someone can actually prove his existence. Anyways, I am interested to see your responses.

Thanks,
evolutionist01

You CAN prove His existence. Not by looking at Him in the face, but things that I’ve felt by looking around. Don’t you ever wonder who makes the good in your life? It’s not because of chance. I used to think that people made their own destiny and God just filled in the blanks, but it’s the other way around. He really captivated me when I was in Adoration for the first time ever in December 2007. I was overwhelmed with love. And no one can tell me that it came from my own head or heart. It did not. It came from God. If you’ve never sat there and just looked directly at the Eucharist, you don’t know what you are missing.

There is a big empty hole in your heart, my friend. If you aren’t letting God be a part of your life and write your story, you’ll be lost forever. Always searching… Why not let Him in? Why not give Him a chance? He so wants to know you!

Sure, atheists and agnostics will say that I’ve been smoking too much dope or I’m crazy and brainwashed, but I’m not and I haven’t. I came to God on my own free will, no one forced me to believe. And that’s the beauty of it. I truly love Him, and I want to serve Him the rest of my life. It may not be provable in fact and logic, and it may seem crazy to you and the rest of the world (even some Catholics), but once you experience it for yourself, you will be forever changed. Not because someone told you, but because God will work His love in to your life. I pray that you will let Him in. I’m praying for you!

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

This thread has been continued from several postings on the teen vocation forum. Because I simply doubt so many aspects of Catholicism and Christianity, I find it odd that someone actually wants to dedicate their life to what may or may not exist. I realize that many of you are very devout in your faith, but I hope that you can let fact and intellect influence your response. I just don’t want people to continuously say, “God does exist! I heard his call! He’s real!!!” when there is no way that someone can actually prove his existence. Anyways, I am interested to see your responses.

Thanks,
evolutionist01

I’m going to try to answer your question with another question:

How do you prove love exists? How do you explain it? You can’t see it or feel it, but you know it’s there.

Love can be complicated or simple. It encompasses everything when you’ve fallen in love. It’s very personal and very beautiful. You want to be with the person that you love all the time. You hate when you are apart.

This is how I feel right now. Who am I in love with? Jesus Christ. How do I prove this existence of love, and how can I prove that Jesus is God, and that God exists? I probably can’t explain it the way you are looking for, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that you know about it, and you are looking for it.

I will be honest here. This post bothered me. Why? Not because I can’t explain my heart and it’s feelings, but because I was worried. I was worried about how I would react. Jesus is very personal to me, and sometimes I get tongue-tied and nervous, but I stepped back and realized, that is normal. If you’ve ever been in love–true love–you know what I’m talking about. Have you ever tried to explain your feelings to someone who didn’t know what you were talking about? Did you ever feel that you could cry and smile at the same time? Love is a very powerful thing especially when you know that you can’t explain it but it’s there.

I am being called to be a Sister, this I firmly believe. Why would I want to dedicate my life to God, you ask? Because He has given me so much. He gave me life. He gave me love. No, I cannot prove it in fact and logic, but I can feel His Presence.

This may not be the answer you are looking for, and that’s ok. I will be praying for you. I think it’s so beautiful that you are looking for the reasons to life and I hope that you find the answer. For me, it’s Jesus, and not because someone forced me to believe it, but because I came to Him on my own. I pray that you do the same. God bless you.

 

[Crimsonflyboy]

This thread has been continued from several postings on the teen vocation forum. Because I simply doubt so many aspects of Catholicism and Christianity, I find it odd that someone actually wants to dedicate their life to what may or may not exist. I realize that many of you are very devout in your faith, but I hope that you can let fact and intellect influence your response. I just don’t want people to continuously say, “God does exist! I heard his call! He’s real!!!” when there is no way that someone can actually prove his existence. Anyways, I am interested to see your responses.

Thanks,
evolutionist01

Well it all comes down to how a person wants to live his/her life. I am discerning a vocation right now and I have a father who is none too happy about it. This is because he and I view the world very differently. He sees success as money, power, a large house, etc. These things just don’t interest me. I am more concerned with doing something good for the world. When we speak it is as if we are speaking a different language. We are looking at two different world views.

I completely understand that some people do not want this life, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact when these feelings first came to me I thought I might be a little crazy. But over time I have come to realize that this is what God wants for me and what I want for myself. I don’t think of it as giving something up, I see it as gaining something truly great. I hope this answer helps, God bless.

 

[ladybuggirl84]

I look at it this way. I might not be able to prove that God exists to you, but you can’t prove that God doesn’t exist. We’re at a stalemate. Neither of us can PROVE the other one wrong, but I do have a little bit of an advantage. Here is my reasoning

Possibilies:

1. I believe God exists and He does. Okay I’m good in the after life and lived a life devoted to the God I’ll spend eternity praising.
2. I believe God exists and He does not. Okay, I’m still good. I might have lost a little bit of fun, but I’ll be dead and wont know He doesn’t exist.
3. I don’t believe God exists and He does not. Okay, I’m good and I get to have a little more fun in this life.
4. I don’t believe God exists and He does. Okay, I’m not so good. A little fun in this life, but eternally damned. Not so nice.

Logically the best bet is to believe and trust. I have found that if you take the first step God will come miles for you! You have my prayers.