Discernment: Respond
Article from the Vision Vocation Network, by Sister Rosann Ocken, O.S.B.
RESPOND in trust
This brings us to the most dangerous aspect of discernment: trust. It is not enough to believe in and listen to God’s call within us. It may seem obvious, but both faith and listening can be dead-ended unless we respond in trust. Total surrender is required.
Some people stumble in discerning their vocation because they want to be completely sure before they act! They want to have a map of how this will be. The hardest part isn’t the listening; the difficulty comes with the leap of faith. In Hebrew scripture we find Abraham and Sarah as pillars of this faith and action. They hear the call of God and they trust. The Book of Hebrews says that they believed that the One who made the promise ought to be trusted. We read, “As a result of this faith, there came forth from one man, who was himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand of the seashore” (Heb. 11:11-12). Their faith and surrender go hand in hand. Jesus’ mother, Mary, is also a woman who believed, listened, and then trusted. Mary certainly could not understand the message of the angel, but she did trust it. She said, “Let it be done to me as you say.”
Our great spiritual leaders like Abraham, Sarah, and Mary show us that our yes comes, not because we know but because we trust that God knows. Someone recently asked me, “How can you know for sure that you have a vocation to religious life?” My answer was simple, “You can’t. A vocation always involves a leap of faith.” “But,” she answered, “I feel afraid; I don’t feel like I have any control; I don’t know if I can do this!”
No matter which type of vocation we are called to, a life in search for the truth and love of God and self will always have its wandering through the desert. To live alive, alert, trusting, and responding to God’s movements and power is the song of our response. This is enough.
I still find truth in the words of my grandfather. When things didn’t come together in the way that he wanted, he would say, “God’s timing is always right.” Neither timing nor events can be forced when we speak of God’s way in our hearts.
Returning to the image of the flower, the unfolding is not to be rushed; rather it is waited on, anticipated, relished. With time, attentiveness, patience, desire, and readiness, the sense of your vocation will also be revealed. You will begin to see a convergence of energy in your heart and in everything around you. A kind of energy happens that seems to direct you—push you—to become your deepest, truest self. The journey is never promised to be easy but it is worth your very life.
Discernment is possible when we believe, listen, and trust.