Welcome to the Catholic Teacher Daily podcast with Jonathan Doyle! In today’s episode, we explore the profound concept of trusting God’s plan for our lives. Join us as we delve into the assurance that God has placed us exactly where He wants us to be, embracing virtues and finding peace in His guidance. Stay tuned for insights on yielding to God’s will and experiencing freedom and grace. Let’s journey together in faith as we trust that God’s divine plan unfolds perfectly in our lives.
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Welcome Aboard
Hello there, my friend, Jonathan Doyle, with you. Welcome aboard to the Catholic Teacher Daily video or podcast. Welcome to the old Woolstore Hotel in the Tasmanian capital city of Hobart. For my American listeners, I know Tasmania sounds very exotic, and it is. It’s a beautiful state and a beautiful city. I’ve had the pleasure of being here to work with the Catholic education office in Tasmania. Doing some sessions for their senior leaders on virtue-based leadership.
So if you’re watching this and you’re in a leadership position, then go and check out the website: jonathandoyle.co. You can find out how to book me to come and work with your leadership teams on virtue-based leadership. It’s really interesting and important stuff. So what else? Please make sure you’re subscribed.
Today’s episode is a little bit different. If you’re hearing the audio version, I’m actually doing this on video as well. So it’s on YouTube. I’m trying to remember what my editor told me. What are we doing? We’re doing One Catholic Teacher on YouTube, so go check them out.
Reflection on Leadership: Theme of God's Providence in Catholic Education
The thing I wanted to share with you today was that during one of the breaks, I just happened to have a conversation with a leader who just enunciated quite beautifully something that is always lovely to hear. And this lady said,
“I really believe that God has placed me exactly where he wants me to be.”
I love it when I hear that. It’s so central to the nature of Catholic education and Catholic educational vocation. Ask yourself, my friend, what sort of God or cosmos do you believe in? Is God not in control?
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the original Wizard of Oz. If you’ve seen it, you’ll remember it. It’s got that really scary green witch that messed me up my entire childhood. But there’s a scene at the end where the curtain is pulled back on the Wizard of Oz, and we find this man there pulling all these levers, looking nervous and frantic. And I said, Sometimes people think that God’s like that. God is just trying to hold the cosmos together, and God’s really busy.
One of the great things about the nature of God is that it is not subject to what he has created. He transcends his own creation and is far beyond and above it, while he’s still mysteriously present in it. So God is in control.
The more that we press into our relationship with God and yield our lives, ourselves, and our plans to his will, the more he can place us and use us in profound ways. Hearing that lady today say, I believe God has me exactly where He wants me, I think we all need to be reminded of that. Even if where we are is difficult or challenging, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the wrong place.
Divine Guidance: Trusting God's Guidance in Difficult Situations
Now, God may move you, and I’m not saying anybody should stay somewhere that’s truly toxic or harmful, but I think for many of us, maybe most of us, God knows what he’s doing. And if you are placed where God wants you to be, there is peace that comes. Because it no longer all depends on you. You are being carried and there is grace.
So the longer that I’ve been a speaker, like today, my heart has really shifted over the years, and I don’t think about myself when I’m up there. I just think about trying to be helpful. And I think about allowing, trying to really allow the Holy Spirit to really flow through what I’m trying to present.
Today, particularly talking about virtues. One of the things I said about virtues, especially temperance, is that on the other side of virtues is freedom and peace. We spend so much of our lives kicking against the goads, as Saint Paul said, but the more that we conform our habits, our choices, and our behaviors to the structure of reality to the way that God has made us, that’s why I think Jesus meant that his yoke was easy and his burden was light because on the other side of those things is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
So, my friends, trust today that God has you where you’re meant to be until he moves you.
Surrendering to Divine Will: Discernment and Obedience
Many years ago at a conference, Karen and I, before we had children, were trying to discern if we should leave where we were placed. And I remember this leader from another church saying to us, “Stay at your post; stay at your post until God gives you a new assignment.”
It’s very humbling because we were pushing ahead in our own desire and strength, and it was quite beautiful to hear that at that time, and just to say, God’s the captain, God’s in control. If he gives us a new assignment, he’ll make it clear and we’ll follow that. It’s like John Henry Newman said in that beautiful line where he says that even if we don’t know God’s will and we’re confused about it, the desire to please you does in fact please you.
It’s hard for us to know sometimes if we’re in the exact will of God, but if our desire is to be in the will of God, then I think that puts a smile on God’s face too.
Conclusion and Call to Action
So in summary, trust you’re in the right place, try and press into the virtues, and live the virtues, because on the other side of those is freedom, and God can use you really powerfully.
And that’s it for today. He’s got you just where he wants you to be. Alright, all the links are here. Check out the website: jonathandoyle.co. Instagram: @jdoylespeaks, and please make sure you’ve subscribed. If you like what you’re hearing, please share this with others.
My name’s Jonathan Doyle; this has been the Catholic Teacher Daily Video Podcast, and I’m going to talk to you again tomorrow.
