How do you discern God's will for your life?

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

Lisa and I have been seeking God's will, sensing some kind of change was coming when both of our kids left the house but not at all sure what God had planned. Several churches were interested in exploring whether Lisa would become their pastor, but things never seemed to line up, on one side or the other. A search firm asked me to apply for an executive position at a mission organization, but ultimately the search went in a different direction. A firm focused on land-rights issues for poor farmers in Africa brought me in to do some consulting with hopes for a full-time position emerging, but then funds dried up and plans changed. Each of these processes went on over months and offered hope that a change would come with the clarity of an attractive, ready-made offer complete with a salary sufficient to make a change to our current circumstances.

Paul presents a simple-but-not-easy process for knowing the will of God in Romans 12:1-2. It involves placing our lives on the altar as a living sacrifice, refusing conformity to the world's way of thinking, and embracing a new way of thinking. The early Israelites were asked to sacrifice their best bull on the altar. That bull represented hope for the future, because though though they didn't understand the structure of DNA they did understand the rudiments of genetics--healthy parents produce healthy offspring. The best bull represented the best breeding stock--but that is precisely why God wanted it for himself. As he himself says in Psalm 50, he doesn't eat the flesh of bulls, but he wanted his people to trust in him and not in their best bulls.

For us, we came to understand that offering our best bull meant first of all being open to quitting jobs before new clarity came. We have both given notice that as of the end of June, we are severing our employment arrangements. When, in 14 months, our travels are over and we are preparing to move back into our house in San Gabriel, we have no guarantees about the source of our income to pay our mortgage and expenses.  (Indeed, we have no guarantees that in 14 months we will be back in San Gabriel. We are literally open to being anywhere in the world.)

Since we have made that decision, many small things have confirmed God's leading, from my boss's willingness to keep me on (at 90% furlough, but I will work a few hours each month on tasks that I can do remotely), to provision for our dog, to very encouraging fundraising progress and support from unexpected quarters. We still don't know what the future holds, but we know that we know that we know we are right where God wants us today.