Vocation Confusion

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[quote name='MarysLittleFlower' timestamp='1318892172' post='2322918']
Thank you for the replies! they were encouraging to read

I think it's entirely possible of course, that I'm confusing God's call to holiness with a call to religious life. However, I am not certain how my thoughts on marriage fit into this. If it's not religious life, and not marriage, I'm not certain what is left.. ?
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Don't discount your vocational call too soon as it sounds to me like God is asking you to at least investigate the possibility. The way you express yourself about God and about marriage, and the fact that you are at an age when marriage might seem very attractive to you (but does not), implies (to me, at least) that there is something here that needs discerning. And since you are not currently dating anyone, there is no reason not to check out religious communities to see if you feel a sense of 'completeness' at the thought of joining one of them.

After all, as someone posted earlier, you are not making any commitments at this stage, you are merely looking into possibilities. You would do this if you were choosing a college, or another profession, so why no do it for religious life? Just take it one step at a time... contact a community near you, discuss possibilities with them. Meet with a SD. Read and research about the different charisms - Franciscan, Dominican, Benedictine, Carmelite, Salesian... whatever seems interesting to you. Read about the different saints, the founders and foundresses of religious communities... get to know what religious life is all about beyond the romantic idealism. Be a little bit practical here in the beginning, while you learn more. And enjoy the process.... God will love you no matter what, but whatever you decide, you grow closer to Him just by spending time getting to know his servants!

[TheresaThoma]

Something I once heard from a Sister popped into my head while reading this, she said that her vocation was a bunch of little "yeses". She started out with saying yes to exploring it and through many other yeses she ended up making her final vows. This helped me to realize that I don't have to commit everything at the drop of a hat.
Take it one step at a time. Most of my discernment has been taking little steps. Its hard but this way I am less likely to run into something.

[Aya Sophia]

Wonderful understanding - a string of little "yes"es - we don't have the grace now to say the "yes" that's coming a year or even a month from now - have only the grace to say "yes" [u]now[/u]. In simply saying "yes" now, we escape the danger of "projecting" (either positively or negatively) into the future. Major insight. (Majorly helpful to yt, who tends to project)