By Fr. Mike Schmitz
You’ve probably heard that God calls everyone to a vocation. So how do you find yours?
It’s a fantastic question and one of my favorites because a) it indicates that you recognize that your life is not your own–that it belongs to God, and b) it indicates that you care what God thinks about your life.
I have a guaranteed strategy for discovering God’s plan for your life that I can share with you. It basically involves asking yourself three questions each day. I promise you that if you ask these questions of yourself regularly, you will never miss out on God’s plan for your life.
But before we get to these (apparently) golden questions, let’s look at the two principles that must be clearly expressed. You’ve known them since you were in the second grade.
The first is this: God knows you better than you know yourself.
This means that God knows why you are alive. He knows how you think. He knows what you love. He knows exactly what will make you happiest in this life.
The second principle is this: God loves you better than you love yourself.
So the thing that you were made for? God wants that for you. The thing that will make you the most happy? You can trust that God wants this for you, too. Those two principles add up to this reality: you can trust God. Period.
Knowing this, let’s get to the three questions.
First, every day, ask yourself this question: Am I in a state of grace?
If not, go to Confession and reconcile with God. This is critical. If I am trying to discern what God wants for my life, but I am disconnected from Him, what are the chances that I will be able to hear Him clearly? You know how we sometimes can’t see things clearly when we are in the middle of a situation? If I am in serious sin, it is very unlikely that I will be able to see God’s will with any sense of clarity. If there is serious sin in my life, I can be easily deceived, so get to Confession.
The second question is: Am I doing my daily duty?
This is extremely concrete. If I am a student, am I giving my best effort to complete my work and arrive to class on time? If I am a husband or wife, am I loving my spouse and doing my best to serve my family through my work and my role?
Basically, look at your calendar (the things you have to do) and ask yourself, am I doing these things to the best of my ability?
If I am not doing the basics that my current state of life requires, it is highly unlikely that I will respond when God asks me to respond in a more dramatic way. Put it like this: think of the tasks on your calendar as God’s will for your life today. If you are saying yes to God’s will in these little things, you are training yourself to say yes to God in big things.
The third question: Did I pray today?
This should be a no-brainer. I mean more than, “Bless us, O Lord…” and “Now I lay me down to sleep…” Really pray. Talk to God. Study His Word. It doesn’t make any sense to say, “What does God want me to do…?” and never take the time to actually talk to God and ask Him the question. And then wait for Him to respond.
I absolutely promise that if you follow this simple plan, you will know God’s plan for your life. How can I be so confident? I remember the first two principles, and I trust that God wants you to know why you are alive.
Now, you can be patient and never worry about missing out on God’s plan. He will not be one moment too late. But if you are getting impatient, remember that He won’t be one moment too early, either. If He isn’t revealing His plan yet, it is only because you aren’t supposed to know just yet. Just trust God and ask the three questions.
Read more from Fr. Mike Schmitz on FOCUS Equip or delve into his talks from SEEK24 on our Youtube page.