How do you make your important decisions? Should you choose this or that? Where is God calling you?

A few years ago I was facilitating a leadership training program and I asked a group of high school students, "How do you make important decisions?" After a number of answers, a young man replied, "I pray about it and follow what God tells me to do."

I have to admit, that has rarely worked for me. Only twice in my life have I had experiences where I really believe that God pointed me in a new direction. Most of the time, I feel God's presence but not a clear direction for my choices. Maybe I don't pray in the right way, or maybe I am just my mother's daughter in this area.

My mom is a wise woman and one of the things she has impressed upon me over the course of my life is this: "God gave you a brain and I think that he expects you to use it."

To me, this means that God gave me talents, strengths, and intelligence. Each time I follow where those lead, I am following God's plan for my life. If I ignore who God has called me to be, I lose my way.

I think that God's gift of free will makes it impossible for God to whisper in our ear, "Choose this college and not that one." I do think that God may be whispering, "Make a good decision and then follow the healthy, holy paths that will be available to you."

In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul greets the people with these words: "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." (1:6) This is my guiding understanding of God's presence in our lives. He started the good work by giving us our gifts, interests, talents, intelligence, faith, etc., and he will walk the journey of life with us and will be faithful to us. We, in turn, have to live the gifts that we have received.

The Daughters of God sing a Sarah Hart song called Send Me. They sing:

To seek glory not my own,
To reach beyond my comfort zone.
To be joy and peace and daily bread.
To remember all that you have said.

God communicates with me through the joy I experience when I use the gifts that God has given me. Perhaps I am not as humble as I should be, but when I am able to do something good with those gifts, I feel God's presence in those moments. It's like God is saying, "Yes!" Those are the moments when I know just what God has called me to do.

Let us pray:

May I be smart enough to see the good work that you have begun in me.
May I be faithful to all that you have given me.
May I use the gifts that I am humbled to receive to make a difference in the world.
May I praise you always for your generous presence in my life.
Amen.

Related Articles:

• Choice Creates Challenges, by James Phillips, Youth Update 2003
• Becoming a Saint: The difference between who we admire and who we become, by Claire Noonan, Busted Halo Features

Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.