Most of the time, however, we don't focus on the fact that people are probably pretty happy with the choices they've made. They like being in control of their decisions and don't really appreciate our input, however well intentioned it may be.
One exception to this general rule is that people of faith usually want advice from God. Or, we want to give advice to God, which is not quite the same thing, and then we listen for God's response.
We pray. God speaks. We act. Good follows. It seems so simple, yet the sticking point is always that difficult question: How can we be sure that it is God who is speaking? How do we know that it isn't our own desires, couched in the advice we give to God, that are propelling us towards a particular outcome?
Oddly enough, the answer may sometimes lie in that advice we don't want from others. God doesn't have too many ways of getting our attention. Short of a heavenly appearance - and which one of us hasn't secretly wished for the angel Gabriel to interrupt our prayers one day? - God speaks through our thoughts, our dreams, our conversations, the scriptures and the many "chance" occurances that beset us throughout a day. The key to our listening, I believe, is a prayer from Psalm 51 that filters the buzz and helps us to interpret more accurately: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new right spirit within me.
What is a clean heart? It is a pure heart, one that is bent on finding God in the competing values of daily life. God and God's way are not always obvious when many voices are vying for attention, so having a right spirit is having one that is attracted to the truth and love within the fray.
One of the more likely signs of God's nudge, I've found, is when I resist and argue against doing what God might be suggesting. Usually it's when my pride or embarassment are at stake. I've also found that when I try to convince myself that a possible action is God's will, it most probably isn't. God's direction, from my experience is usually very clear: when the course is right, you know it. God is more than capable of marking the path.
Often, God brings people to mind and when that happens it's a sure bet that praying for them is the most loving response we could muster. I'm learning to attend to those notions that start "I must remember to do...". If I don't do it then, usually I am not going to remember. That's the Holy Spirit trying to save me from myself.
Perhaps we've thought to make a call or send a card or invite someone to dinner. We may never know why the timing of a prod might be important, but the only thing necessary is that we follow up on it. We have a friend who put off entertaining a couple whom she hadn't seen in awhile only to have the woman die before our friend ever made the call. She immediately wrote to the husband and it was fortunate that she did because he died the next week.
When there isn't a clear indication that a new direction is in order, God is probably saying "keep on keeping on," in spite of how much we would like to make a move. With retirement on the horizon, that's advice that I am trying to follow.
If our desire is to find God's will among all the words we hear and deeds we see, then God will make sure that we understand the message that the Spirit is sending. It is in God's interest to do so. If we misunderstand, we can be confident that God will find another way of getting through. Our part is to stay alert for the possible channels that God might be using as a carrier pigeon.
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