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The best place to start making any serious life decision is the realization of God's tremendous love for you and God's assurance of being with you on this journey.
 How to make this retreat work for you
Although each segment of the retreat can stand on its own, it's better to take them in order. It's also good not to do them all in one sitting. Perhaps you could make this more of an actual retreat experience by reflecting on one or two sections a day.
You'll see a link for "Reflective Prayer" at the end of each part of the retreat. Although you may be tempted to skip quickly to the next topic, I encourage you to spend some time with the prayer. I think you'll find that it will help you to get below the surface of your life where you'll discover the real answers to your questions. So, for each Reflective Prayer
- Take a deep refreshing breath to help you become quiet.
- Remember that God is waiting for you as you come to pray.
- Settle into a comfortable, quiet place. You might also want to light a candle. Anything that helps you get centered.
- You may want to keep a journal as you pray through this retreat, noting what ideas and feelings come as you pray and reflect. Journaling and doing a formal "pros and cons" process (explained later in Discernment) will help you reach some clarity rather than going around and around in your head.
- Ask God to lead you.
This retreat will be most helpful for you if...
- It is a priority for you to make life decisions with God, who created you and is still creating you.
- You understand that decisions made because of fear, the need to feel important, or to satisfy others' (family, friends, teachers, etc.) expectations of you are never from God and will never lead you to fullness of life.
- You realize that the call is not found somewhere outside of you, but within your very heart where God dwells. God's call to you is spoken here and now in the ordinary experiences of daily life.
- You have learned that any important decision needs to be approached with both serious thinking and careful attention to your feelings. You have probably already experienced such decision-making in your choice of a career or college and a major area of study.
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