Hello sisters!!
I can hardly believe the 2 year anniversary of creating "His Voice is Sweet" passed in September. Thank you so much for following this little blog and supporting me in my journey. It's been an interesting two years because they didn't go how I expected they would at all.
When I graduated high school, I was ready to go pursue God's will, I just needed to know exactly what it was! I waited around like an anxious child. Each day I thought (consciously or sub consciously,) today, God's going to show me His plan! He just has to! But, two years passed and I never received a lighting bolt out of the sky and a booming voice. I can't say that God's told me His will and now I know exactly what I'm doing.
But that's ok. He has revealed something even more important. He has revealed Himself. Not all at once. Not in clouds and light. Not in a visible way. He has made His presence and His love known little by little. He is guiding me each day, moment by moment, to know Him and to surrender everything to Him. He does this by using people and experiences. In these last two years, I've met so many amazing people who constantly remind me of God, His goodness, and His plan! I am so grateful for the people and circumstances, because without them, I would be lost. God knows our weaknesses and uses people and things around us to help us!
These last two years, I've had wonderful, grace filled days and I've had hard, lonely days. I have gone astray from discernment many times over the last two years. It is so easy to become distracted. For me, this mostly happens when I fall out of the practice of prayer. The thing is, God didn't leave me. He never leaves you. It is I who turned away from Him to other things. I focused on lots of other things and didn't put God first. How exactly can we put Him first? We put Him first by spending time with Him.
So with these general reflections, I'd like to share the advice that I'd like to give to any young person who is discerning a religious vocation. Pray!! Pray without ceasing! This is so very important. Don't stop. If you have fallen out of the practice, I beg you to start again. I know you may not want to, I didn't a little while ago, but you must. How can you know what God wants you to do if you don't spend time listening for His instructions!!
Honestly, my soul is so much more at peace when I spend time in prayer. It doesn't always have to be for long periods. Morning and night prayers are an excellent way to start. But don't stop there. Add evening prayer, daily Mass, the rosary, and adoration. Make a retreat or make a total consecration to jumpstart your prayer. These things aren't magic, but they dispose our souls to be open and cleaned. God uses the sacraments, sacramentals, and prayers to infuse grace into our souls. This is how He communicates with us. Most especially, He communicates with us in the Holy Eucharist because that is His true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity that we receive. So please, remember that today is a new day and that God's grace is new for you every morning! Yesterday may have been the worst day, but if we seek God, His grace, and His peace, He will give it to us. Then He can lead you in the direction He has planned just for you!
The point of discernment is to discover your vocation, your calling in life. This calling is supposed to help you reach sanctity, Heaven. But the road to Heaven isn't easy. It is a battle. To win a battle, we must struggle, fight, and persevere day after day. Soldiers do not take a break from fighting a war, even when they retreat. They regroup, strategize, and replenish supplies so they can win the battle!! So don't stop fighting the battle for Heaven! Strive for sanctity and a closer relationship with God every day. I know it's hard, but it will be so worth it.
