Do You Have a Vocation?

You’ve probably met people who clearly have a calling from God and are living that divine summons. For example, a holy, effective missionary who is winning souls in a distant land.

Maybe that made you wonder, “Do I have a vocation? How would I even tell?”

Yes, you do have a call from God, even though it may not be as dramatic as taking the Gospel to a dangerous place where missionaries are martyred. It may be starting a family, which, as ordinary as it sounds, involves a lot of heroic sacrifice.

God makes each of us with a particular end in mind — communion with Him — and gives us a unique path to tread, which is our vocation.

Here are some tips for discerning your call.

Don’t make the process too mystical.
God probably isn’t going to give you a supernatural experience that reveals your vocation. That does happen from time to time, but it’s rare. God may have appeared to St. Paul and blinded him, but thankfully you’ll probably not go through that.

Discernment stems from your prudent reflection on the gifts God has given you, the people He has surrounded you with, and the places He takes you.

Follow the human way to discern your vocation.
Start with your inclinations. Some people are contemplative, others more active. Some are good with their hands, and others are natural teachers. Your natural interests and tendencies can help you understand what God might be calling you to do.

These inclinations aren’t enough to reveal your vocation, though. They need to be elevated by the virtues, especially prudence. The more you grow in virtue, the more spontaneously you will incline toward your vocation.

Prudence is one of the most important virtues in discernment. It is the exercise of right reason concerning things to be done. The prudent person considers the many paths before them and enlightens their mind as to which way they should go.

So be at peace. Stop looking for voices from heaven or elevated feelings. God is revealing your vocation to you through the ordinary operation of your mind and heart. It could help to talk to a spiritual director to sort out the sometimes contradictory desires you have.

Always remember that God planted the seeds of His call in you. So long as you are faithful, He’ll grow them into something beautiful!