Episode 31
31 | How to Discern What I'm Meant for: 3 Simple Things to Do Now
Are you feeling a bit lost when it comes to figuring out your unique purpose? Trust me, you're not alone!
Today, we're diving into the essential topic of discernment—specifically, how busy Catholic moms can start figuring out what they’re meant to do in this beautiful, sometimes chaotic life.
But don't worry, I’ve put together three actionable steps that can kickstart your discernment process, all while keeping God right at the center.
Grab your favorite cozy drink, get comfy, and let’s dive into this together—your purpose is waiting to be discovered! You’ve got this!
I pray that this episode blesses and encourages you!
Michelle
Next Steps:
✨ Ready to Discover Your Unique Purpose with Clarity?
Grab your 1:1 Purpose Coaching Session Here
✨ Deepen Your Journey, Join the Catholic Moms Community Here
✨ Receive Weekly Encouragement and Action Steps to Help You Move Forward with God: Subscribe to the Ignite Circle: The Inner Flame Here
✨ Feedback or Questions? Contact me at hello@michellebrannam.com
✨ Listen to Related Episodes:
07 | What Do You Seek? A Conversation with Jesus about Your Purpose
04 | How to Start Discerning Your Unique Purpose when You Feel Lost
Scripture Mentioned:
John 1:38
Bible Translation Used: All Scripture is quoted from the Revised Standard Version – Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE), The Great Adventure Catholic Bible, © Ascension Press. Used with permission.
Transcript
And I wrote a powerful statement to help me daily pursue and discern my unique purpose.
Speaker A:That helped me get super focused on my intention.
Speaker A:It kept the fire within me as well and ignited and kept me moving forward daily.
Speaker A:Are you telling yourself I don't know how to discern what I'm meant for?
Speaker A:You're not alone.
Speaker A:In today's episode, I'll be talking about discerning what you're meant for.
Speaker A:Something that I know can be incredibly hard.
Speaker A:Especially when you're not sure how to discern what your unique purpose is.
Speaker A:Purpose is and not sure what the next step is.
Speaker A:I understand.
Speaker A:I've been there.
Speaker A:That's why I put together these three simple things that you can do now to begin discerning your unique purpose and what you're meant for.
Speaker A:So if you're ready to learn and take that next step in discerning what you're meant for, lean in, grab your notebook and pen and let's dive in.
Speaker A:If you're ready to break free from stuck, gain clarity and take steps towards discerning your unique purpose or all while following God's guidance to become the person he created you to be.
Speaker A:If so, you're in the right place.
Speaker A:Hello, I'm Michelle, a Catholic discernment mentor and spiritual coach who went from lost and questioning my purpose to confident in my unique calling using a Catholic based strategy that places God and the Catholic faith at the center.
Speaker A:Are you ready to dive in, Grab your pen and notebook and get comfy, Open your heart and mind and invite God in as we get ready to become who God created you to be.
Speaker A:Let's do this.
Speaker A:You want to do his will, you want to live the life he created you for.
Speaker A:But when it comes to what that actually is, you feel confused.
Speaker A:There's no map, no clear answer and no one is showing you how to begin.
Speaker A:I remember sitting on my couch pregnant with my daughter, my heart aching with that same question.
Speaker A:God, what do you want me to do with my life?
Speaker A:I wanted his plans.
Speaker A:I just didn't know what that was or how to figure it out without getting overwhelmed or lost.
Speaker A:And a random advice on the Internet.
Speaker A:That's exactly why I offer purpose coaching.
Speaker A:A one to one session to help you begin discerning your unique God given purpose.
Speaker A:We'll look at your season of life, the gifts he's placed in you, and when he might be inviting you to next.
Speaker A:This isn't guesswork, it's a process rooted in faith, discernment and peace.
Speaker A:Go to Bit Ly Catholic Purpose coaching to Book your session now.
Speaker A:I want you to say yes.
Speaker A:Today's the day when we'll do this together and with God leading the way.
Speaker A:So let's get started.
Speaker A:Do you feel like you don't know how to discern what you're meant for?
Speaker A:Today we're going to talk about this topic because I hear Catholic women saying this exact thing.
Speaker A:They do not know how to discern what they're meant for.
Speaker A:And I understand because that question sent me searching too.
Speaker A:I used to feel the same way.
Speaker A:I had to do a lot of research, reading, and just trying to figure out how to discern what is taught in the Catholic faith.
Speaker A:I had to pull multiple resources to pull it together and write it out in a simple process to fit my life that was staying true to the Catholic Church teachings.
Speaker A:I understand and I hear you when you say that you do not know how to discern what you're meant for.
Speaker A:I feel like this really isn't taught to us.
Speaker A:Growing up, I attended ccd, the old term that when I was growing up is what they call it, but now it's called prsr, psr, the Parish School of Religion.
Speaker A:And honestly, I can't say whether this is taught in Catholic school because I did not attend Catholic school.
Speaker A:I attended public school.
Speaker A:If you teach or your kids attend Catholic schools, come on over to the Facebook community Finding youg Purpose, Discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms.
Speaker A:I would love to know if this is something that is taught in the Catholic school.
Speaker A:So let me know.
Speaker A:Come on over.
Speaker A:Here are three simple steps that you can take to begin discerning what you're meant for.
Speaker A:Because this is what you're here for.
Speaker A:So step one is spending time with God.
Speaker A:Invite him in.
Speaker A:During the process.
Speaker A:Talk to him in prayer.
Speaker A:Just be genuine and tell him what's on your heart.
Speaker A:Be honest with him.
Speaker A:And this can be something simple as God, I'm ready to discern with you your help.
Speaker A:What you created me for, what I meant for.
Speaker A:Help me to discern because I'm lost.
Speaker A:And you know, amazing things happen when we open up to Jesus and we tell him what's on our heart and we're honest and that we need his help.
Speaker A:That's really what God wants to be.
Speaker A:He wants to have a relationship with you.
Speaker A:And part of that is spending time with Him.
Speaker A:And when you spend time with him, you develop that relationship and you'll become more open and honest and you'll be more real in letting those thoughts come out because it may feel a little awkward at first.
Speaker A:Because you can't actually physically see God.
Speaker A:And there are tips to help you to get in the right mindset when you do prayers that I can do a future podcast on.
Speaker A:If you'd like to know, let me know.
Speaker A:So there are ways that you can do this to open up to God and speak to him from the heart.
Speaker A:And this is simply speaking to him out loud, like I'm talking to you right now, is just having that conversation with him and telling him what's on your heart.
Speaker A:Or you can do it within your mind, within your quiet time, without interruptions.
Speaker A:And that's what I typically do.
Speaker A:And I found very powerful and another way that I really came across that's very powerful over the last few years is you can write to God in a journal what's on your heart, which is journaling with God and talking to him via pen and paper.
Speaker A:And I like to do this because part of my mindset routine, it includes God in the process to help keep it in align with the Catholic faith.
Speaker A:Because I did not want to fall into the trap of new age items and the way of doing stuff circling out there, that was a big part of my search and taking hours just to make sure that everything that I do falls in alignment with the church and the Catholic Church teachings.
Speaker A:And really having a mental prayer which is saying that speaking to God what's on your heart verbally out loud, or you can say that within your mind and you can even combine that with journaling with God because that is really impactful.
Speaker A:You're mentally asking God for help and you're not relying on yourself and self focused.
Speaker A:You're asking in a prayer, a petition, you're asking him for his help.
Speaker A:It's a request.
Speaker A:And when you're journaling some of the beneficial ways of that that's actually even impactful is when you put it on pen and paper, you just let it flow out without filtering what comes out.
Speaker A:And this gives you a visual record.
Speaker A:You can see what you've talked to God.
Speaker A:This will help you see repeated patterns as you do this several days using that journaling to God.
Speaker A:And it also helps you to track when God answers your prayers.
Speaker A:Because you can see the date if you date your journal.
Speaker A:And then you can go back when you do get that answer like oh well, God responded to me on this day.
Speaker A:And you could even if you had room in the bottom of your journal, you could put down the date that you felt that God responded to you.
Speaker A:And as you progress throughout on this journey, it can also show you how far you've come as you discerned your purpose.
Speaker A:You would need a telescope to see the difference that you have, you've become on this journey from when you started to where you are now.
Speaker A:That is how it is with me, that it takes a telescope, because you change and you change for the better.
Speaker A:You become the better version, the better of who God created you for.
Speaker A:And that's a wonderful thing to see.
Speaker A:And also, you may not see it because you're around yourself day to day.
Speaker A:It's kind of like when you're with your kids.
Speaker A:Like, for me, as my toddler, I'm around them 24, 7.
Speaker A:And when my parents see them, you know, the grandparents, they may go, wow, they've really grown.
Speaker A:But to me, seeing it day in, day out, or seeing them day in day out, I don't see that change because it's.
Speaker A:I'm always right there.
Speaker A:There's no taking a break, getting away.
Speaker A:So journaling can benefit this as well, because you can see how far you've come across or how far you've came, how you became the best version of you, because you're seeing the difference of your notes, if you take the time to analyze it, you know, quarterly, whatever.
Speaker A:But I don't want to throw a lot at you because you're a busy mom, you're overwhelmed, and we just need to take one step at a time.
Speaker A:So the next thing that you can do, after you spent some time in prayer with God, and if you want to be specific to Jesus or the Father or the Holy Spirit in your prayer, wonderful, do that.
Speaker A:But the next thing you want to do is to really ask yourself, what are you seeking?
Speaker A:Because God cannot help you if you do not know what you're seeking.
Speaker A:God, he wants to know your desires.
Speaker A:He knows what you desire and seek, but he wants to hear directly from you.
Speaker A:In John 1:38, we see Jesus asking some of the first disciples, what do you seek?
Speaker A:Imagine God asking you, what do you seek?
Speaker A:There's a beautiful way of doing this.
Speaker A:Again, you can go back to what we talked about earlier, taking that, to a mental prayer, saying it out loud.
Speaker A:You can go to mentally having that conversation with him, or my favorite way, and truly the best way I recommend is to grab your journal and pen and journal over what you truly desire and seek and spend time with this.
Speaker A:What do you want God to guide you towards?
Speaker A:And if you don't have a journal, get a special journal that you'll enjoy opening.
Speaker A:Go to the store, go buy one, grab your favorite pen or Find one that you love and start using it.
Speaker A:You know, as mothers we make sure that everyone else is taken care of, am I right?
Speaker A:And have everything that they need.
Speaker A:But we don't necessarily make sure that we have everything or take care of us.
Speaker A:We always seem to come last.
Speaker A:So do this for you.
Speaker A:I want you to purchase a journal.
Speaker A:You enjoy and spend this time with God.
Speaker A:And while you're out or you're shopping online, buy a cool notebook to use for your notes as a companion to this podcast.
Speaker A:If you haven't already, there's lots of notes that you want to make as you're listening to this podcast.
Speaker A:If you're enjoying this journal prompt, join us in the Facebook community Finding your purpose discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms Weekly we are furthering our discussions and journal prompts inside our community so I want you to invite over there, come on over.
Speaker A:You can get some more benefits and go a little bit deeper in that.
Speaker A:And if you would like some guidance, I also recommend you listening to episode seven what do you A conversation with God about your purpose.
Speaker A:This is where I help guide you with the meditation and some peaceful music to help you really speak and open up to God on what you seek and what's truly on your heart.
Speaker A:And this I allow you the space to tell him you want to know your God given purpose and how to discern it.
Speaker A:So make sure and check that out.
Speaker A:If you want some guidance with the meditation with music that you can really deeply reflect upon on this.
Speaker A:And I really recommend it.
Speaker A:It's very, very beneficial in this process.
Speaker A:And the third step is surrendering it to God.
Speaker A:Once you have spent some time speaking to God and giving him some thought to what you seek, just give it to God.
Speaker A:I know that's hard, but let him take control.
Speaker A:Surrender it.
Speaker A:Tell him that you're letting go of the outcome.
Speaker A:This is a prayer because you're just speaking to God.
Speaker A:When you're talking to God.
Speaker A:That's prayer.
Speaker A:And you can say, I am an instrument for your will.
Speaker A:God, I'm seeking my unique purpose that you created me for, not what I created me for.
Speaker A:I do not know what it is, but I need your help to guide me.
Speaker A:Jesus, I welcome you and the Holy Spirit to help guide me on this journey as I'm ready to seek, discern and find my unique purpose that you created me for that I was meant for.
Speaker A:What really helped me during this step in the process is I prayed the surrender novena during this step and I wrote a powerful statement to help me Daily, pursue and discern my unique purpose.
Speaker A:That helped me get super focused on my intention and telling myself this is what I'm due.
Speaker A:I want to discern and I want to know what I am meant for, what my purpose is.
Speaker A:Because along with that and that surrender novena, it kept the fire within me as well and ignited and kept me moving forward daily.
Speaker A:And what's very important is God is key in the discerning of your unique purpose.
Speaker A:He must be invited in the process.
Speaker A:We do not know our purpose on our own.
Speaker A:We do not get to decide what our purpose is.
Speaker A:It was created before we were born.
Speaker A:Seek Jesus.
Speaker A:Surrender the outcome and timing and work with him to uncover your purpose.
Speaker A:Alright, so let's quickly recap the key points from today before we move on to our prayer.
Speaker A:First, invite God into your discernment.
Speaker A:Open your heart in prayer or journaling.
Speaker A:He wants to guide you.
Speaker A:Just be open, honest and have that conversation.
Speaker A:Second, clarify what you truly seek.
Speaker A:Your desires matter and God wants to hear them directly from you.
Speaker A:And third, surrender the outcome to God.
Speaker A:Trust his timing and guidance.
Speaker A:Your purpose was created by him before you were ever born.
Speaker A:Keep these three truths in mind as you move forward.
Speaker A:They're simple, but they're powerful reminders that discernment.
Speaker A:It's a journey and God is walking with you every step of the way.
Speaker A:Let us pray in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Our Heavenly Father, we humbly come before you asking for your guidance as we discern our unique purpose that we were created for.
Speaker A:I'm ready to discern with your help what you created me for, what I'm meant for.
Speaker A:Help me to discern because I am lost.
Speaker A:Jesus, your words echoed today as they did when you were walking on earth among us.
Speaker A:What do you seek?
Speaker A:Help us to draw closer to you as we search for our purpose and all that we seek.
Speaker A:We cannot do this alone.
Speaker A:We need your help and guidance from others that you place before us to support us on this journey.
Speaker A:In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Knowledge is power, but true change happens when we pair it with consistent daily action.
Speaker A:We cannot gain clarity if we're not taking daily action to help us move forward.
Speaker A:And you can get started today by simply talking to God in prayer, telling him what is on your heart.
Speaker A:Be genuine and just tell him, I'm ready to find my purpose.
Speaker A:I'm ready to discern with you your help what you created me for, what I meant for.
Speaker A:Help me to discern because I'm lost.
Speaker A:You can do it as mental prayer.
Speaker A:Or you can even do that along with grabbing your journal and writing out to God what's on your heart.
Speaker A:And I would love to see your journal and your favorite place that you like to spend with God.
Speaker A:Come inside our Facebook community Finding your purpose, discernment and strategy for Catholic Moms I would love to see your favorite journal or what journal you're using to discern your purpose and grow closer to God.
Speaker A:Remember, my beautiful sister in Christ, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose.
Speaker A:You were made to do great things.
Speaker A:God is within you and you will not fail.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.
Speaker A:Until then, may God bless you and give you peace.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker A:I pray that today's episode blesses and encourages you.
Speaker A:If so, would you please share it with someone you know that would be blessed by it?
Speaker A:If you felt inspired or learned something Today, please take 30 seconds to leave a written review on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker A:This is the number one way to let me know that you are liking the show and for me to reach other Catholic women like yourself.
Speaker A:If you're feeling uncertain or lost on your discernment journey, you're not alone.
Speaker A:Join us over in the free Facebook community where Catholic women just like you are sharing, supporting and growing together in faith.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:God bless you.
