growing into vocation

As begin to recall and reflect back on these past couple of years, I am beginning to see how God continues to reshape my understanding of vocation and call. My tendency in the beginning of this season of discernment was to seek God with doing questions of who, what, where, and how (Where will I serve? With who? What will be my focus?). Gradually, with the direction of reading, mentoring, and some experience with the Ignation spiritual practices (Examen, consolation, and desolation) those discernment questions began to grow into being questions like,
What is God calling me to in relationship with him?...
And what experiences are drawing me closer to God and life in the Spirit?...
As well as, what experiences are drawing me away from God and life in the Spirit?

David Brenner captures “vocation” well in his book, The Gift of Being Yourself, “Too often we think of God’s call (or our vocation) solely in terms of what we do….However, while doing will always be involved, vocation is much more than our occupation. It is the face of Christ we are called from eternity to show the world. It is who we are called to be.”

Parker Palmer also has impacted my understanding of vocation Let Your Life Speak, “Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about – quite apart from what I would like it to be about – or my life will never represent anything real in the world, no matter how earnest my intentions. That insight is hidden in the word vocation itself, which is rooted in the Latin ‘voice.’ Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.”

My primary vocation is follower of Jesus Christ conforming into his image. Simple at its core, but a lifelong process of listening and formation! I now look forward to following Jesus to Argentina and continuing the process of formation among the community there.