sniffing out our calling

St Basil talks to us about the natural law today in A Year with the Church Fathers.

What he says leads us to an interesting insight. He mentions that the same way animals know which plants to eat, which ones suit their bodies and their needs, so we know intrinsically what is good and what is evil. And he's right, when it comes to our conscience. Of course, we can cause our conscience to become misshapen, and then it gives us bad advice. But a properly formed conscience, like a properly formed nose on an animal, will guide it to the right answer every time.

That leads us to the insight: the same way that animals can sniff out the right plants, so we humans can sniff out the calling for which we were made. God created each of us with certain gifts, and called us to use those gifts to make the world a better place. To bring His kingdom into our presence in the here and now, as we pray in the Lord's prayer. Most of us, however, are confused as to HOW exactly we should do that.

But if we find a calm place, and seek His face... if we ASK Him to show us what our gifts are, and how we should use them... and then we remain in that calm and wait (waiting on God is spoken of very highly throughout the Bible)... then, just as rabbits sniff out the carrots, and horses sniff out the hay, so we can sniff out what it is, deep down inside of us, that God is calling us to do.

Deep calls to deep, the Bible tells us. And the deepest needs in the world can meet us in the gifts that He has given us... when those two meet: that is our calling.

God, please help us sniff out what You would have us do.