Vocation Storage: Solution to a Catholic girl's problem

As I was enjoying being spiritually rejuvenated in Minnesota this past week I stumbled upon this interesting door in the basement of the St. Paul Seminary...

My first thought was, "Isn't this funny?"

It is quite funny actually. I'm sure they don't actually store all the seminarians vocations in this closet. Nor do I think that there is such a place where God keeps a file of all of our future vocations, just waiting for us to be ready to fulfill them. But, honestly, it seems like it would make life much easier. Right?

Well, no. It may make life seem easy, but a easy life is not what we are called to as Christians. 

Imagine this scenario: 

Catholic girl. Loves God. Wants to do His will. 

Comes to a time in her life where she is ready to discern her vocation and find out what God's will for her is.

She prays. She works. She serves. 

Everyday praying for openness to the vocation that God is calling her to. 

Then one day God invites her into His "office" (chapel actually) and takes her to the basement where there is a room that says "vocation storage." He opens the door and leads her inside and Ta -DA! There it is! Her name written on the file that will reveal her vocation to her. 

She opens it, and...

She knows her vocation.

the end.

Yeah that sounds Nice. Simple. Neat. But that is not how God works. God is mysterious, unpredictable, and sometimes messy. That is the beauty of Our God. 

Sometimes I feel like I am in a time crunch to figure out my vocation. I feel like I have to say this prayer and do this devotion and spend "x" amount of time in the chapel for God to reveal my vocation to me. 

Yes, all of these things are good, but the time crunch and pressure on myself is not good. God works outside of time and without consulting my own clock. 

Yesterday in prayer I felt God calling me to just follow Him where He is currently leading. To take the opportunities that He puts in my path and not to worry if I'm making the "right" decision. When it comes time to make a life decision, then He will reveal it to me.

Our vocation is not a hidden puzzle that God knows and we have to figure out. God, our Creator, knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what way of life we will choose. What vocation will lead us to heaven. What our true heart's desire is. I don't have to worry about "figuring it out" like He is hiding it from me to make me mad. Haha. Even though it feels like it sometimes.

Truly the journey is where I can grow in holiness. Do not discount the amount of growth and the importance that the journey to knowing your vocation holds. We can grow in: patience with God and ourselves; love of God; self-control; humility; courage; etc. all while waiting for God to reveal the path that He knows will get us to heaven.

Also, to all my beautiful/handsome, single friends out there, here is a quote from one of the talks at SNE (see "It's been a while..." post if you are confused) that is a good reminder: "God will never keep you single for a day longer than He wants you to be single."

So, as we discern our vocations, whether it is a universal call to marriage, priesthood or religious life, single life, or a particular call to the career path God is calling you to, or the person you are supposed to be in a relationship with, don't get discouraged. The journey is just as important as the destination.

-jmj

***

Song lyrics from a friend's new EP that keeps repeating in my head: "Be holy, keep growing, you're young and it's showing."

truth.

(song by Max Haben & Company on their Change Me Now EP. Check it out!: http://noisetrade.com/maxhaben)

Thank God for Detachment!

-jmj

I can't believe it is the the eve of the last day of July already! Time has just flown by this summer. The summer has been loaded with lots of fun with family and friends, lots of swimming and running, laughter and love, joys and struggles (just to name a few). I feel so blessed. 

I have felt God really stretch me this summer in more ways than I can name. Really, the hardest part is naming how God has worked in my life. But today I had an "Ah-ha!" moment when I realized one BIG thing God has been working on with me: DETACHMENT. 

chillin with St. Ignatius

You know when things happen in your life and you don't understand why? Yeah, I'm sure you do. It's a pretty common occurrence. Well a lot of that has happened this summer, but for all of it (the good and bad) I'm so grateful, because it has taught me detachment.

God has put that big word (detachment) on my heart for these 2 and half months now. Thanks to St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises it has been a familiar concept in my daily prayer. (Side note: Anyone wanting a spiritual kick in the pants, do "The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius." They are pretty hardcore. Just Do It!) 

Also, ironically, sometimes Twitter helps me out with little reminders of detachment. Example: Yesterday C.S. Lewis(CSLewisU) Tweeted, "Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose, only upon the Beloved who will never pass away." Preach it brother!

Tweet it Brother!

So today, and for the rest of my life, I want to be detached, Lord. Detached from everything that is of this world. Detached from all that is fleeting. Detached from my desires and from my dreams. Yes, all of these things are good because they are from you, but they are not my everything. Lord, help me to attach myself to you, attach myself to your eternal love, and your promise of salvation. Let my attachments be pure and from you alone. Thanks God. I'm going to need a lot of help.

My prayer for anyone reading this (Yay! Thanks for reading this!) is that you would hear God calling you to detach from anything that is holding you back from loving Him with your whole heart, body, mind and soul. Let's attach ourselves to God and never let go! He will never let go of us.