Monday Musings – What is God’s will for you?

Lent begins in two days and I am beyond excited. With my overzealous personality, I usually dive right in and give up all sorts of things — TV, music, mirrors, and whatever else I can think of! This year though, I’ve really been praying more about what the Lord wants for my Lent. What has come to me is that this season is a great time to tune in to the will of God for my life. It’s not that I don’t normally try to discern what God’s plan is, but I’ve realized, yet again, that His will doesn’t just touch one area of my life, but every area and every decision I make. I know I’m not the only one who forgets this!

Scripture makes it pretty clear what God’s will is for us all:

And just in case this wasn’t explicit enough, St. Paul reaffirms it in no uncertain terms:

Great, so we know God’s general will for all of us, but do we know His will for each of us individually, moment to moment? How many of us wake up each morning and just start right in on our to-do lists without touching base with the Lord and asking Him what His to-do list is for us that day? We should begin each day not feet first, but knees to the earth, and mentally remain on our knees throughout the rest of the day, consciously bringing God into our daily circumstances and situations. It is this type of personal connection that God desires to have with each one of us.

The amazing thing is that, although the Lord respects whether or not we seek His will in a given situation, He wants to be involved in our lives, even in our little day-to-day decisions! Unfortunately, unless you have a direct line to God, it tends to be hard to hear Him in a concrete way. So how do we figure out what His will is for us each day? How do we remain in that state of constant mental prayer?

In search of an answer, I opened up the Diary of St. Faustina (which, if you haven’t read it, you should!) and found exactly what I was looking for. Once when Our Blessed Mother appeared to Faustina, she had this to say:

“My daughter, I strongly recommend that you faithfully fulfill all God’s wishes,
for that is most pleasing in His holy eyes. I very much desire
that you distinguish yourself in this faithfulness in accomplishing God’s will.
Put the will of God before all sacrifices …”[3]

Faustina then lets us in on the secret:

“While the heavenly Mother was talking to me,
a deep understanding of this will of God was entering my soul.”[4]

In other words, Mary is the key. She unlocks the mystery of God and His will. Out of all the people who have ever lived, she is the one who knows God the most intimately, she is the one who lived out the will of God most faithfully. We need to ask our Lady for the grace to know God’s will daily, to come closer to His heart daily, to fall more in love with Him daily!

As we begin this Lent, join me in going deeper than simply giving up something we like. Let us make this season a time of walking with our Blessed Mother, and asking her what sacrifices will truly help bring us closer to the Lord. Through her powerful intercession and guidance, may we come to know God’s longing to be involved in our daily lives, and be given the grace to include Him in our decisions, seeking His will before ours.

[1] Lev. 20: 7
[2] 1 Thess. 4: 3
[3] Diary, 1244
[4] Ibid.