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Have you ever wondered if you knew God’s plan for you?  I have but sometimes I am not sure.  One would think we should know God’s will for us.  But sometimes it’s just not that easy and we are looking for answers.  We want to fulfill God’s plan for us because we love Him and will do anything to please Him.

The first part of following God’s plan is easy.  We must follow his commandments and all the advice He gave us during his ministry on earth.  We do not have to wonder about any of those things as He has directed us to do them.  Scripture is the best source for knowing what will please God.  God knows we are sinners, but He loves us just as we are.  Thank God for sending His son and letting him be fully human for His time on earth.  He experienced and felt what we do.  We need not be afraid of our weaknesses as God will send His grace to help us overcome them if we work with Him.  We should not be discouraged by our failings because we are human, and we were born sinners.  God knows that because He created us, and He loves us just as we are.  He will also help correct our thinking which will result in our actions.  He has told us many famous saints started with weaknesses like ours and he helped them become saints.

 God has also given us gifts which will help us in trying to do His will.  People have different gifts and using them wisely means we are following God’s plan.  He gives them to us to use for the common good.  They can be anything.  For example, I love to work with children.  That means I can volunteer to work on Faith Formation with the children in my parish.  If you are truly good at something, you can find something to do that will please God.  The desires we have like my wanting to work with children are another way God is trying to tell us His plan for us.  He will nudge us until we feel like we want to do something.  So don’t ignore that little nudge.

 What about consulting God before we make big decisions rather than thinking we know the best way to go?  We could probably make better choices along with following God’s plan for us if we had a conversation with God first.  When we’re having a conversation, sometimes it’s hard to know if God is answering us or if we’re just making up His side of the talk.  I asked my pastor about this, and he said our heart should tell us if it’s God speaking.  Had I prayed about it more before I made choices, my life would probably look very different.  I would probably have been a better wife, mother, and even employee.  Taking the time to pray about a decision just makes sense.  And it certainly would help keep us following God’s plan for us.

 The next thing we need to do is accept our crosses.  I think it is easy to question God’s plan for us when we are suffering.  But our God loves us, always and ever.  If you read some of the Psalms, for example, Psalm 22, you can feel the pain of someone who believes God has forsaken him, and yet, in the end, he is praising the Lord.  God told us there would be trials and tribulations and He also told us we need to take up our cross and follow Him.  While enduring our crosses, we cannot think God’s plans for us are evil for God is love and is not capable of evil. If we look at the story of Job, we see him suffer greatly and lose most of what He had, but in the end, God gives him back twice as much as he still praises God.  I lost most of what I had with an illness back in 2010-11, but God never left my side while I was suffering.  He provided my basic needs, and I figured out I didn’t need much of what I had before.  Also, He had things to teach me and that was the way He chose to do it.

God’s plan for us is always for our good.