Many people confuse our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.
St. Teresa of Calcutta
Preparing While You Wait
I often dream about what my vocation will be like. I wonder all the time when it will start, as if the more I think about it, the quicker it’ll begin. I sometimes think that when I start living my vocation, life will be perfect. Of course, all of this is far from the truth.
At the heart of every vocation is being an instrument of God’s love, which is something that we can easily live right now. We can be so anxious to get to a chapter of our lives that hasn’t begun yet. We can’t wait to skip ahead and find out what’ll happen. It’s hard to be patient, but God is working in His perfect timing to reveal your vocation to you. He’s taking His time to write your story according to His will. While we wait to learn what our vocation will be, we can still prepare for it now. Of course, there are countless ways to prepare for your vocation, but I’ve listed four to get you started.
1. Embrace the season of waiting
God has you exactly where He wants you. It’s so tempting to wish this time away, to rush through it, and to continually look forward to what’s coming next. Approach this season of waiting joyfully as you prepare for what God has planned for you. Having this perspective will help you stay open to the blessings and graces that God is trying to give you during this time.
2. Pray often and intentionally
When we love someone, we spend time with them. Prayer and the sacraments are how we spend time with God and grow closer to Him. Having an active prayer life will help you recognize His plan for your life. If you’ve hit a prayer slump or if daily prayer is new to you, designate a time, a place, and a way to pray, and get started on your relationship with God. Through daily prayer, He’ll soften your heart and fill you with graces. As a word of advice, don’t only pray about your vocation. Without making your entire Holy Hour about your vocation, you can easily pray for the wisdom and the courage to say “yes” to God’s plan for your life.
3. Find a community
It isn’t good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Because of this, it’s so important to surround ourselves with like-minded friends and build community with one another. I was blessed to find my community in the Newman Center at Slippery Rock, and four years later, my faith has strengthened immensely and my friends and I are still running towards Heaven together. Your community should uplift each other and encourage one another to grow in faith. Without giving in to spiritual comparison, when you look at your community, you should feel called to grow in holiness. It’s true what they say about hot coals, they stay hot and get hotter when you keep them together. To stay on fire for the Lord, stay close to your community and keep them close to you.
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4. Be open to God’s blessings
If we’re too caught up in what’s to come, we’ll miss what’s going on here and now. Moving too fast in life makes us miss the moments that we won’t treasure until they’re gone. This last practical goes hand-in-hand with the first one. Taking life day by day opens us up to God’s blessings. Taking time for Him and finding peace in the present, where He has us for a reason, allows us to appreciate what He’s doing for us right now. We’re more aware of His presence and the graces that He’s outpouring on us constantly. When we’re open to God’s blessings, we make it easier for Him to work in our lives and reveal His plans for us.
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