"Talking on the Phone" by Marjan Lazarevski | Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

By Sister Carleen Maly, OP

As we reflect on God’s call in our lives, there seem to be some common characteristics:

• They may come to us in prayer, in an inspiration, even in a dream.
• They may come to us in our youth, young adulthood, or wisdom years.
• They come in ordinary, seemingly insignificant moments, but if we are attentive to the promptings of our hearts we will be given the insight to recognize them.
• And they may be presented to us by a person or event that attracts us and beckons us in some way, and which we may push aside as coincidence or chance.

I like to call these the “had it not been for…” moments. These people or events can be the instruments of God’s invitation, messengers, if you will, who are filled with God’s presence and understand what it means to be used as disciples.

As followers of Jesus we have all had our “had it not been for…” moments when we have heard God’s call. These are stories of trust in our ever-faithful God who continues to call us. What are some of your “had it not been for…” stories? What is happening in your life right now that seems to have God written all over it? May you listen and be attentive to the promptings of your hearts.