The Seeds of Vocation
At some point in our lives, we will all face questions about our purpose or calling in life:
What is God asking me to do? Where am I being sent? Who should I be helping or serving? Should I be married, or enter religious life, perhaps community or consecrated life?
All these questions begin with finding out who God has made us to be. We pray that this short exercise will help your reflections on your vocation.
Every seed grows up into a unique plant… it gives life and nourishment… it gives colour and vigour… it creates shade for all who pass by… take a moment to imagine that you are holding some seeds in your hand… you cannot know what plant they will become… but you trust that one day they will bear fruit…
Now imagine that those seeds are the seeds of your vocation… the gifts or talents you possess… the challenging experiences you have been through… the dreams and desires that sustain you… what does God want to tell you about those seeds…?
Just by looking at a seed it is impossible to know the plant that it will become… whether it will grow tall and strong… whether it will bear fruit or not… But if you had to choose a seed to plant, which would it be…? Which seed shows most promise in God’s eyes…?
As you listen to these words from the prophet Jeremiah, ponder the kind of trust that God is inviting you to as you plant that seed in the deep dark earth…
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Now spend some time in conversation with God… speak to him about the seed of your vocation you would like to plant… trust that God will help that seed to grow…in God’s own good time… and in the way that God knows best…
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.