Figuring out what God is asking of me

:   St. Ignatius speaks about three well-defined situations in which we find ourselves when making a decision: 1) We definitely know what to do, 2) We are conflicted; we are not sure what to do and 3) We don’t have a clue!  How we wish it were always as easy as knowing, beyond a doubt, what it is God is asking of us. That is rare.  Most times, we are conflicted—do I do this or that? Do I get married or remain single or enter religious life? “Where can I best serve God” is not always crystal clear.  And then, of course are the times we do not have a clue of what decision to make and then it is easy to simply make no decision at all (which, in fact is a decision)!  So how do we come to perceive the will of God if we are torn or clueless?  St. Ignatius gives seven practical suggestions, the first two of which are: 1) Clearly identify the issue over which we are making a decision—name it! We cannot make a good decision or a prayerful one if we do not know what it is we are deciding. 2) Pray for the grace to desire one thing: God’s will and that alone. “Open my eyes, my heart and my will to what it is you want of me!” Source: Discernment of Spirits by Warren Sazama, SJ, National Religious Vocation Conference, Chicago, IL 60615, p. 11.