How often we try to control the direction of our life! We live in the illusion that we alone know what we most need, what is best for us, what we should do next, what we desire to accomplish.  There is a saying which we may have heard before. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." In reality, when we are in total control of our lives, how often we have made a mess of things. We fail to remember that we belong to the Lord. He created, redeemed, adopted us for a purpose: to be fulfilled in him and to live with him eternally. He has a plan for us. It is not always clear what it is. But the more we learn to surrender to the Lord, the more we can better be able to be in tune to that inner voice of the Spirit of God within us. His voice and direction are gentle and soft, like a quiet whisper. As we learn how better to be attentive and responsive to the lead of the Spirit, we will be in the place God wants us to be in the present moment. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."