A few weeks ago I mentioned nurturing and protecting one’s vocation but didn’t go into detail about it. I’ve been thinking about this topic lately, as good friend of mine is leaving in a few days to enter into a religious congregation. A few common friends had shocked reactions to her news, as they didn’t know her well. I reflected upon my friendship with her in the last five years and the steps she’s taken towards her vocation.
In the last two years she became proactive in her vocation discernment. At first she was sure of missionary life but in turn, found it was the religious life that called to her. She took steps to deepen her faith through scripture, mass and prayer. She sought out Jesus daily and would explore different congregations that appealed to her. Often I would follow up and ask her discernment was going and her reply was that she prayed ‘she would desire what God desired for her’. The deeper she would go into her faith, the easier her discernment was. I also noticed the peace and softness that began to take place over the months, until I saw her expression of pure joy when she talked about her relationship with God. She pursed this calling and nurtured it consistently.
Vocations do not always fall into a person’s lap. Certainty often comes from long hours of prayer, devotion and discernment. The active pursuit of her vocation reminded me that I needed to continue to nurture and pursue my own. If we are not proactive, then we become stale and stuck. We can only grow when we become decisive and start making steps towards the fulfillment of God’s plan for us.