5 minute read
The Lord Calls and We Must Follow
By DANA THIRSTRUP
About two and a half years ago, I felt the Lord calling me to leave a position at Pax Christi in Rochester doing a job I loved, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, to be the Director of Youth Ministry and Faith Formation at the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Every time the Lord has called me to something different in my professional life, it has been very clear to me. Oftentimes it is a feeling that I have done all I can do, and it’s time for the next person to come in and take it to the next level. That is exactly how I had been feeling at Pax Christi, and when the opportunity to take the position at the Diocese came up, I felt drawn to it. My desire was to move from discipling young people to discipling the disciplers (our youth ministry and faith formation coordinators). After having been a youth minister for nine years, I remember what it is like to feel alone in ministry, especially those first few years. The Lord has been very good to me, and I have been incredibly blessed to work with such wonderful coordinators for the past two and a half years.
Now, I feel the Lord calling me in a new direction vocationally, which is to be a full-time mother. 2023 was a wonderful whirlwind of a year for me: I got married in May, found out we were pregnant, and I felt called to make the difficult decision to once again leave a job I love. However, there has been much peace through this decision, and I trust that the Lord has already handpicked the person who will replace me in my position.
Another lesson I have learned through multiple ministry position changes throughout the years is that we are all replaceable. I know that sounds harsh, but it is true, and thank God we are! Youth Ministry and Faith Formation at the diocese is not dictated by or dependent on me. Jesus called me to this position for a time, and He has also called me to something new in His time.
Discernment and trying to listen to the Lord can feel elusive at times, and perhaps in your life it hasn’t been easy to determine what God wants. Although the Lord has made it more obvious in my work life, He definitely took His good ol’ time in my personal vocation. My nickname for God has been (and still is) “last minute God.” I sure hope He isn’t too offended by that! However, the lessons I have learned (and am still learning) from discernment have greatly benefited me while walking with others in their own discernment (especially young people), so I wanted to share a few thoughts in my final Courier article regarding discernment. I am definitely no expert, but I hope it at least can be food for thought.
God isn’t trying to confuse you. The Lord works in peace, and the devil works in confusion and unrest. Never make a decision in a time of desolation or lack of peace (those aren’t my words, but the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Rules for the Discernment of Spirits).
God can’t drive a parked car. Someone told me that years ago in Spiritual Direction, and I never forgot it. If you feel like you have two good options laid out in front of you and God isn’t giving you a clear “yes” or “no” on something, He may just want you to choose! There are many decisions in life that don’t require intense discernment, and that can also be true regarding multiple good bigger decisions. A prayer of mine when making decisions when things were not clear has been, “God, this is the decision I am making. If it is not right, please put a roadblock in my way and redirect me.”
Discernment takes time. Sometimes way more time than we ever thought it would! For the past 15 years, I went back and forth in my own discernment about whether I felt the Lord was calling me to religious life or married life. I finally got to a place where I realized even if He wasn’t calling me to either, I was happy as a single spiritual mother. I wish I would have gotten to that place sooner, as it would have saved my heart and mind much anguish!
Learn to will the Will of God. One of my favorite spiritual guides and authors, Thomas Merton, wrote that and it has always stuck with me. When we don’t think we want or understand the Will of God, sometimes the only thing we can do is try to will his Will. That is a great act of surrender and detachment that the Lord will bless greatly and eventually (in His time) transform our will to His.
The Lord has a plan for your life, but He is a gentleman and doesn’t inflict His Will upon us against our will. I truly believe life is a beautiful journey of conforming our imperfect will to His Perfect Will, where we will find lasting peace and joy ultimately in Heaven.
Again, it has been a blessing to be working in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester for the time God has called me here, and there are so many wonderful youth ministry and faith formation coordinators I will miss working with. Our youth are in good hands! God bless you, and know of my prayers for you.
Dana Thirstrup, Director Emeritus of Youth Ministry and Faith Formation
