The Right Choice and the Wrong One

At my talk to the Confirmation and Highschool students the other day, I was asked two very interesting questions by a young fellow discerner.

The first was: "How do you know if you have made the right choice about your Vocation?"

Well...I haven't personally found "the right choice" yet, as I am still discerning. I've heard some Vocation-Decided people say that "You just know." Does that answer your question?

...Yeah, it didn't cut it for me, either, and after speaking with some more experienced and eloquent people, I've come to the conclusion that the greatest sign that you have discovered your calling is: Peace. Not happiness, or contentment, or even superficial fulfillment, but peace. A deep abiding sense of rightness, like everything fits. I mean, think about it. God knew what you were going to do, and what He wanted you to do, before He even created you. He would never create you to be bad at what He plans for you to do, and He would not force you to do something that you are not made for. You and His Plan are going to fit together like two puzzle pieces. So, when you find your fit, when you make "the right choice," you will JUST KNOW, the same way you will JUST FIT.

The second question was: "What if you make the wrong choice?"

I firmly believe that the only wrong choice you can make is to refuse to trust in God and so not truly discern. If you don't trust in God and decide to make your own way in the world, you are setting yourself up for failure.

(...No, Self, it's not that I don't love you. It's just that you are a fallible human being, and making eternity-affecting decisions isn't your strong point. I'm sorry, but this Me, Myself, and I relationship isn't going to work...)

I firmly believe that as long as you trust in God, you will have nothing to worry about. Place all
your trust in him, and He will not let you down, because that is not the way He works.

("What are you doing Father?"

"I'm looking at that human down there. It's trusting in me."

"Let's play a game with it!"

"...Alright, Son, what shall we do?"

"Oh, I know! We will throw it into the world and let it fend for itself. Oh, irony abounds!"

"That's a great idea, Spirit. Should we give it a hint?"
"No!"

"Yes!"

"Okay, I'll give it a hint. Hey, human:

"Hehehe, pathetic humans!")

That sounded funnier in my head, but you get the point. God will not fail you as long as you trust in Him. You won't have to worry about choices; you will be incapable of making "the wrong choice," because HE is incapable of making the wrong choice.

Now, what happens if you do not trust in Him, decide to do your own thing, and end up doing something you weren't created to do? Well, all is not lost. There is not a single situation on this
earth, past present, or future, that God is incapable of--some way, somehow--turning to His advantage. He can turn the worst of situations into a good situation. Sometimes, He will even make you holy in spite of yourself. But still...why go through the trouble? Why make a bad situation into a good one when you can be making a good situation into an awesome one? If you haven't made a choice yet, just trust in God now, not later.