Sr. Rosy Malekudy FHGS
- “I seek to do not my own will
but the will of Him who sent me.” Jn.5:30
Every person is unique. Identical twins may be similar in appearance but differ in their personality traits, their character and capacity, their talents, etc. There is a vast difference in the feelings, emotions, attitudes and aptitudes of different persons. Different people respond or react to the same stimuli, or to the same circumstance, differently. The supernatural reasons that we can ascribe to it is that God has created each human being unique and He has different plans for each. Though the ultimate goal of every person is the same, the way they achieve it is different. But in all that we are called to do, God wills and desires our happiness. Hence, the will of God for each person is to be happy in life. And happiness in turn, depends upon how well we fulfil the plan of God in our lives.
How can I discern God’s Will for me? Discern is a process by which we come to determine what God want us to do in a given situation. One of the steps to discern God’s Will is to check our motives for our actions. If our discernment is right, it will ensure us peace of mind, freedom from compulsions and the courage to be patient in our suffering. Another step towards discernment is to bring our concern to God in prayer, where we can listen to the voice of God. The search for God’s Will demands that we learn the art of selfless listening to the Spirit speaking to us through the Scriptures. Bringing our concerns to a competent person can help us in the process of discernment. Purity of intention and a life of virtue can facilitate discerning God’s Will.
In order to do God’s Will, we must have firm faith, believing unwaveringly that God is close to us and, as such, will never allow us to stray as long as we trust Him. At times God can ask of us things not with the aim of making us deny our own will, but to test and increase our faith and charity. Thus, we are reminded that doing the Will of God may apparently seem to be painful or meaningless, but is in fact the source of everlasting freedom and happiness. Jesus’ incarnation is itself an expression of His availability to fulfil the Will of God.
- “What God has in store for us is better than what we plan for ourselves.”
