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By Rob Des Cotes
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
LISTEN AND you will hear. Could it really be that simple? God, directly influencing our way, whether we turn to the right or to the left? In this passage we find encouragement that, no matter which way we go, we can always hope to hear the Lord's assurances in our prayers: "This is the way, walk in it."
How often do we carry in our minds the image of a fork in the road? We assume that one way is necessarily God's will and that the other will lead us away from his presence.
Though it is always important to seek clarity in making choices it is not appropriate to overly fear being out of God's will if we are people of prayer. If we are constantly open to being redirected, the Lord promises to be always behind us, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." Perhaps this passage can also offer assurance to anyone who feels uncertain about their vocation in life.
Helping high schoolers
Our youngest son is finishing grade 12 this year, and we often talk about how uncomfortable it is not knowing what is coming up next in life. Many times in the past year I have cringed as well-meaning adults, on hearing that my son is in grade 12, immediately ask him what he wants to be.
I have empathized with the difficulty he feels, admitting publicly that he doesn't know where he is going yet. It can make you feel as if you are failing a rite of passage if you don't have certainty, at 17 years old, of who you are.
As parents, we have tried to keep this creative space open. We want to make sure our son doesn't feel pressured to think this is something he needs to know immediately, or worse, that he doesn't have an identity until he comes up with a career direction for himself. We've assured him, throughout this process, that God is mysteriously involved in all of life's directions and that it is equally important to learn how to walk confidently through the unknown, certain that there is purpose and direction in life even if we don't immediately see it.
Spiritual direction
People who work in spiritual direction know how crucial it is to learn how to remain in what is called liminal space - the undefined state that marks the threshold of new beginnings. Liminal space, by its very nature, is shapeless.
It feels aimless and yet, precisely because of that characteristic, it is important to not overly encumber this necessary starting point for discernment.
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 Liminality is a time of incubation, much like God afforded himself as his Spirit brooded over the void in Genesis. Though it feels directionless it is not without purpose. Faith that God is truly leading us in our lives, whether we see it or not, will give us peace in our waiting as well as free us from fear and anxiety when we feel that nothing is happening.
To walk patiently through this process is a far wiser option than trying to escape the discomfort of the unknown by latching on to anything rather than feeling stuck with nothing.
Watching and praying
Discernment is an ordained time for us to be simply watching and praying. It is a time for gathering information. And it is in the process of waiting for what might be revealed that we learn one of the most important lessons of spiritual direction - that stillness and quiet are often much more productive ways of advancing in God's will than any chasing after the wind that our anxieties might otherwise lead us to.
If we truly are people of prayer, we can be confident that God will direct and redirect all that he is calling forth from us - including our vocation.
Making time and space
Making time and space in our souls for prayer will be an important part of the process of discernment that will allow our deepest sense of self - who we are in God - to emerge and reveal itself. It's a process that can't be rushed and that is different for every person.
The apostle Paul assures us that "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2:10) It is the Lord who calls forth our vocation - our name in Christ. And it is his voice that we must wait and listen for above all else. It may take longer for some to recognize it than others, but anyone who seeks the Lord can expect to often hear him whispering throughout the process: "This is the way; walk in it."
Rob Des Cotes is author of Fan the Flame: Meditations for Spiritual Direction, and spiritual director with Imago Dei (www.imagodeicommunity.ca).
Artwork by Friedrich Peter (belartgallery.com/friedrichpeter.html).
May 31/2007
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PS: I have been guilty myself in the past of asking friends' 17 year olds "Have you made any decisions of what you are going to be?" Recently our 17 year old daughter has been frequently asked this question and I now realize what a loaded and onerous question this is and now also cringe. Perhaps the question we all could ask each other and 17 year olds is, "Hey, how is your liminal space going"? I like that! Blessings.