Giving Your "Yes" to God

It’s the season of ordination and naturally a time when I often think about my own vocation and whether I’ve said “yes” to God and His call to go forth and bear fruit that will remain.

My boyfriend and I were watching “The Search” mini-series on Formed recently. Episode six poses the question, “Will you give your ‘yes’ to God?” The question was bold and struck me. 

Afterwards, I told my boyfriend that I’m not sure that I had given my complete “yes” to God. However, from his perspective, he thought I had because my life looked given over to God. 

As I reflect on that, perhaps there was no “big yes” for me, but rather a series of small “yes’s” day by day as each opportunity presents itself. I guess those small “yes’s” could look like a bigger “yes” to an outsider looking at my life.

I suspect most ordinary lay people like myself have a similar story. Perhaps you can’t identify the “big yes” you gave to God, but maybe you’re waking up day by day committing yourself to prayer, surrendering your troubles to God, doing the loving and charitable action in front of you, giving generously, growing in virtue, caring for your family, and discerning decisions wisely alongside Christ’s friendship. 

Those are your small “yes’s,” and from an outsider’s point of view, it’s possible that you too reveal the bigger “yes” -- a life laid down and given over to Christ.

So maybe the right question for us is not “Will you give your ‘yes' to God,” but rather “Will you keep saying ‘yes’ to God day by day, moment by moment, and opportunity by opportunity?”

For that is what makes a faithful life.