I have this vision of a person who is so deeply in tune with God, so filled with the Holy Spirit, that her every word is clearly what God has desired to be spoken.
Often, I find myself thinking of discernment and the inclinations of the Spirit only in terms of big decisions. I fail to view them with regard to every moment. The same is true for obedience. I think of being obedient to God when it comes to my vocation or whether I'm tithing enough to the Church, but not when it comes to my daily actions. Of course I do focus on living the reality of the Christian life, which calls me to be mindful of my daily thoughts and actions, but I tend to stop that mindfulness short of vision of the person mentioned above.
My prayer reflection today called my attention to the need for determination. I must be determined to obey God in everything, to be in the constant state of discerning His Spirit, aware of It's inclinations, and committed to carrying them through. This determination leads to a greater desire to know what God is asking of me. After all, how can I possibly go through with what God wishes in every moment if I do not know what He does wish?
I often find myself distracted by how frequently I don't seem to hear God. Perhaps that plays into my tendency to forget the moment-by-moment constancy of obedience. St. Francis de Sales said to "love obeying more than we fear disobeying."
Thus, my attempt at that vision for a person consumed by obedience to God's will begins with a prayer that asks God to change my heart that I may grow in love for obedience of Him. I will commit to responding out of that obedience when I know what He wants for me, and I will not worry too much when I am unsure. I'll always discern, grateful for the times when I do know, trusting Him in the times that I don't.
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