From “Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life” by Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird
Small, seemingly insignificant events, ideas, and life circumstances can become occasions to discern God’s will and calling in your life. Both inner and outer events and circumstances can be read and interpreted as signposts leading to a deeper understanding of the way the Spirit of God is working in our daily lives.
The more we reflect on this, the clearer it becomes that we cannot really understand God’s providential work in us. In the final analysis, all we have are signs that lead us to suspect something unspeakably great. “As it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’” (1 Cor. 2:9). Though we see as through a dark glass, we do see something. We have the freedom and responsibility to look at our lives with the eyes of faith and a heart of trust, believing that God cares and is active in our lives.