Hearing & Responding to Christ's Call

"Who am I, and what is God calling me to?"

Most of us make two errors when it comes to vocational discernment. We assume that vocation equals occupation (and a future one, at that), and we assume that discernment equals decision-making (maybe with a spiritual twist of some kind). As such, we talk about 'discerning our vocations' and really mean ‘making ideal decisions about our future occupations.’ 

By contrast, at Brazos Fellows, we teach the following definitions:
  1. The Christian vocation is, first and foremost, your calling to God himself (the call of discipleship). All other callings and responsibilities are secondary, comprising the unique backdrop from which we live out our vocation as followers of Christ.
  2. Discernment, for its part, is a prayer process in which we look for where God is working in us, in others, and in the world, and we seek to do what God is doing with Him. Discernment is about learning to recognize God’s guiding voice in the present as He speaks to us, seeking out how to live every part of our lives in response to God’s call.
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Our program fosters this kind of vocational discernment. One-on-one meetings with a spiritual director, a life coach, and a tutor will help facilitate this growth in listening and self-awareness. Spiritual practices (guided by our common Rule of Life) allow us to participate actively in the primary vocation to which all followers of Jesus are called: life with God, shared in community. 
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Our hope is for every Brazos Fellow to discern their vocation as lifelong followers of Jesus.