Dennis and Rose Wingfield, Our Lady of Good Counsel

When we love each other freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully as husband and wife, our love is a powerful witness; it attracts others. Our greatest desire is to help other married couples love in this way. Through the Marriage Coaching Ministry, we accompany couples who are struggling. Just as Jesus did not immediately instruct the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we listen to them and allow them to share their hopes and disappointments. We meet them where they are in their faith and help them go further. By sharing how Christ has worked in and through us, we help couples see that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to a joy-filled marriage. When we put Christ at the center of our marriage, we look for ways to serve each other and to help each other get to heaven. This is what we are made for, to image the love of Christ to a world desperately searching for lasting happiness.

Mark and Colleen Pressprich, St. Paul on the Lake, Grosse Pointe Farms

We try to take every decision we need to make as a family to prayer, trusting in God’s providence. We pray as a couple and as individuals and discuss what we hear God saying. For us, some of the biggest and best examples of choosing to follow God have come in the people around us. When I felt like God was asking us to move Gram in with us years ago, Mark jumped right on board, trusting my discernment and trusting in the goodness of God’s plan. When we both felt like we were ready for another child, we said yes to being open to life, even though it meant a pregnancy during Mark’s third year of medical school. And God has provided for us in an abundance of graces every single time we’ve said yes.

Aaron Wilkerson, St. Michael Parish, Livonia

In my life, I choose to follow God daily by surrounding myself with reminders of how much of a gift it is to be alive. My vocations as a husband and father provide me with numerous opportunities daily to be a witness of God’s love. My children remind me constantly of how much joy there is in life and that there is beauty in simplicity. My spouse provides me with an opportunity to sacrifice daily and strive toward her well-being. It’s interesting to think about how God had this awesome life in mind for me all along and I get to discover day by day his divine plan and explore the many levels of it. My prayer life isn’t perfectly structured, but I find ways throughout the day to show God appreciation for the grace he has provided to me freely, and I try my hardest to show that I am deserving of that love.

Beth Scheule, St. Hugo of the Hills, Bloomfield Hills

I strive to follow God’s will in my life every day. Prayer and the sacraments hold me close to the Lord. It can be difficult to hear the quiet promptings of God’s call in our noisy world.  God has blessed me with a zeal for souls and I have asked him to put people in my path who need to know him. God does not disappoint! I have had countless encounters with people where I was able to pray with them, answer questions or share the saving message of the Gospel. What a gift it is to help someone recognize that God is alive and active in their life.

Dr. Janet Diaz, Church of the Holy Family, Novi

In my life, following God requires a daily commitment. This commitment is above all others! Starting the day with prayer lays the foundation. Prayer is a combination of praising and worshipping the Lord, telling him everything that’s on my heart, asking for his help and listening for whatever he wants to say to me or do in me. Reading and studying the Scriptures is essential to letting the Lord speak to me. I invite the Lord to use me however he wants that day. I especially ask him to allow me to use my gifts for his glory.

After spending time in prayer, being covered in his love and loving him back, it’s time to take the love out. Everyone has to fit under that blanket of love; I’ve got to show it to those I love joyfully and to those who are difficult to love. I always ask the Lord to help me know myself better, because the better I know myself, the better I can follow my Lord Jesus. The best way to follow God is to be convicted, every day, that whatever he wants for you is the best thing that could ever happen to you.

Chris Ciurla, St. Mary, Royal Oak

The most important way I choose to follow God is trying to live a life of discernment. If I’m not dedicating myself to prayer and building a strong relationship with God, it’s hard to find where he wants me in the first place. Spending personal time with him in Eucharistic Adoration and listening has had a profound effect on my life.

I also have a special devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux, and I’ve really taken her “Little Way” to heart. I am an engineer by profession, and I don’t have an opportunity to minister actively in much of my day-to-day life. St. Therese taught me how it’s possible to follow the Lord even in the mundane and make everything an act of love.