Having attended a Jesuit university, I heard the word discernment many times, and I was taught that it offered a way towards clarity; unity of mind, heart, and soul; spiritual growth; and empowerment. I was told to be still, pray, listen, reflect, and pay attention to consolations and desolations. It all sounded good, until I tried to put it into practice and found myself struggling to listen through the mental noise and struggling to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
We are invited to discern our paths in life not just by what stirs our hearts, but by taking stock of what enslaves us versus what sets us free to be our true selves. Whether we find ourselves in a vocational discernment, which may happen several times in our lives, or a communal discernment process, we are often of two mindsets. We find ourselves searching for signs that we are on the right path. We might become desperate and stop listening to God. We might try our self-effort ways or try to get our own way, which is usually paved with stumbling blocks like the fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of the unknown, fear of disappointment, presumptions, and pleasing others. These fears and other stumbling blocks enslave us and back us into a corner. However, God’s way is a way of faith, grace, trust, patience, hope, interior space, and spiritual collaboration without pressure or judgment.
As I reflect on discernment, individual or communal, I realize the possibility of renewal, transformation, understanding, and actionable decision-making. I realize that I do not need proof or a sign to take a particular path in life, if I have faith in God’s timing—even when I do not fully understand the sacred journey. Discernment is not about being comfortable; it is about realizing the truth as revealed by God’s Spirit working within us and around us. It is not about presenting my wants to God and then waiting for God to approve my plans.
We all have a shared vocation of love.
God’s gift of discernment can clear up the fog of agendas, lists, and ultimatums that show up in prayer as we seek proof that we are on the right path in life. Maybe we do not need a sign when we acknowledge that we all have a shared vocation of love; therefore, we are already halfway up the road of discernment. Results might take a long time to come to fruition when we embark on a discernment journey, but believe that God will never stir us the wrong way. That is God’s promise of assurance and hope.
Loving God, your love and promise have set us free, and we are no longer enslaved by our fears. May we commit ourselves to the sacred journey of discernment for your greater glory.
Photo by Justin Luebke on Unsplash.
Thanks, Vivian. I especially like the line, “Discernment is not about being comfortable…”
The process of seeking confirmation for our discernment is ongoing.
Discernment is not about being comfortable – well said Vivian – Discernment is the choice of courage.
Discernment as a Gift, a journey – leads us to experience life in a myriad ways …
Opportunities to be fully human and humane eludes the ‘undiscerning’ (sorry sounds harsh)
The key concepts of the Ignatian approach: knowing what we truly desire, seeking God first, and trusting our feelings – are quite universal – we all ‘desire’ but it’s the discerning that choose to bother with the ‘what’ and the ‘why’.
Can we truly trust our ‘feelings’ ? To my mind this is a clear call to ‘community’ and ‘collaboration’ … can we ‘trust’ our feelings and intuitions with our community … trusting our feelings and intuitions in a spirit of collaboration is another challenge in the journey of discernment.
The call to discernment is a call to interrogate one’s assimilated perspectives of faith, courage and intuition.
Worth a read – A three factor measure of DISCERNMWNT by Traüffer et al. (2010) identify – courage, intuition and faith.
Thank you for this wonderful article. It filled me with some peace as my husband and I have been wrestling with some health issues, and wondering about our next steps. I am learning about Ignatian Spirituality through this website and there seems to be a wonderful article (like yours) that comes up just as I need it.