August 16, 2009
Discerning Our Vocation Everyday (DOVE)
Time and time again, I watched the knit eyebrows and tight lips of a focused, concentrated expression descend upon the face of a teen. It is the same focused expression to the same question adults generally ask, “So, what are your plans for college?” Adults seek to be interested in this stage of a teen's life and the teen knows that he or she should have an answer. The problem is that the teen knows the answer an adult anticipates and the answer the teen has to offer do not match. While adults seek an answer with direction and interests, teens seek discovery and exploration. While adults seek purpose, teens are still wondering what they want to develop and what they are good at. So, the eyebrows knit and the lips tighten as the teen once again realizes that she or he does not have an answer to the caring question posed by the supportive and friendly adult.