God Is Such a Show-Off

by Lori Wilson

As I sat with a directee this week, I was struck by her comment—it became my quote of the day. With a playful, loving voice, she said, "God is such a show-off!"

I asked her to tell me more. She shared that she'd been praying about her word for the year and had asked God that very morning to confirm it was the right one. As she described what had been unfolding over the past month, I responded, "Let's savor how open you've been to hear God's voice in different places. This openness you're describing is new for you."

She started laughing. "I have to tell you something." Then she walked me through her process of discovering her word, what she was hearing from God in it, and ended again with that delighted declaration: "God is such a show-off!"

Why Confirmation Matters

In Ignatian discernment, this kind of confirmation is essential. We want to be sure we're hearing God, and God doesn't email or text us. Instead, God speaks through other people, the natural world, synchronicities that make us pause, Scripture that suddenly comes alive, or that interior knowing that settles deep in our bones. The confirmation arrives in ways only we can recognize—clear, unmistakable, personal.

When it comes, we know. Something inside us says yes—this is it. We're on the right path. The confirmation doesn't necessarily make the path easier, but it gives us courage to walk it. It's God's way of saying, "I'm with you in this. Keep going."

When We Don't Hear It

But what if we don't hear that confirmation? What if we're listening, paying attention, asking—and there's only silence?

Then we wait. We reflect some more. We keep our hearts open.

Sometimes the lack of confirmation is the message: not yet, not this, or simply—be patient with me. God's timing rarely matches ours. The waiting itself becomes part of the discernment, teaching us to trust God's pace rather than our own urgency.

In the waiting, we can return to prayer. We can sit with trusted companions—a spiritual director, a friend who knows how to listen. We can ask ourselves: Am I truly open to whatever answer comes, or am I attached to hearing a particular "yes"? Am I listening for God's voice, or for the echo of my own desires?

The waiting isn't wasted time. It's sacred space where we learn to distinguish between our voice and God's, between what we want and what God is inviting us toward.

The Gift of Openness

What struck me most about my directee wasn't just the confirmation she received—it was her openness to receiving it. She had cultivated the kind of spacious attention that allowed her to notice God speaking. She was looking, listening, willing to be surprised.

And God, being God, didn't whisper when a shout would do. Didn't hint when clarity was possible. God showed up—unmistakably, generously, even playfully. A show-off indeed.

For Your Reflection

• Where are you listening for God's confirmation right now?

• What helps you cultivate openness to hear God in unexpected places?

• If you're in a season of waiting, what might God be teaching you in the silence?

Prayer

God who speaks in whispers and shouts, in synchronicities and silences, help me stay open. When confirmation comes, let me recognize your voice. When it doesn't, give me patience to wait without closing my heart. Teach me to trust your timing, even when it feels slow. And if you decide to show off a little, I promise to notice—and to laugh with delight. Amen.