One of my favorite authors, Emily P Freeman, just released a new book, How to Walk into a Room. The host of a wonderful weekly podcast too, Emily accompanies us as we discern the decisions we face in life. As a spiritual director, discernment is often the doorway that directees seek an appointment with me - they are at the crossroad. Do I stay? Or do I leave? And how will I know? Emily’s new book is a practical tool for discernment, full of helpful clarifying questions. Here is her description of the contents: “If life were a house, then every room holds a story. What do we do when a room we’re in is no longer a room where we belong? What do you do when you start to feel a shift and must decide if it’s time to make a change? When it comes to navigating big decisions about when to stay and go, how can we know for sure when the time is right? Though we enter and exit many rooms over the course of our life—jobs, relationships, communities, life stages—knowing how and … [Read more...]
Search Results for: discernment
Discernment – Revisiting My Bookshelf – Part Two
I have been revisiting my bookshelf this summer and decided to make this a series in the month of August. Each week I will rediscover an old friend, reread its wisdom and share a title, its theme, a few quotes, and a small reflection/application. When I slowly took the books from the shelf it felt like I was holding treasure. I can’t help to think that wisdom in these pages call to me for this particular time. And the excitement of possibilities! “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” – Robertson Davies Hearing with the Heart - Debra Farrington Discernment is an essential spiritual practice for all of us. Hearing with the Heart was one of the first books I read about discernment and still continues today to be a resource of wisdom and guidance. “To discern means more than to understand or to make a decision, Discern comes from the Latin … [Read more...]
Discernment in the Midst of Multiple Options
Discernment is difficult, especially in a time with multiple options. Choosing what to do or where to go next is like finding just the right cereal in the grocery store breakfast aisle. Lots of great tasting choices and many healthy selections. Me? I want a clear, easy, quick decision. I want God to flip on the directional sign from heaven showing me where to go. Just tell me, Lord. The discernment road isn't always smooth. The path shrouds in fog and we get weighted down in mud as we slough through a decision. Sometimes it's our fault. Sometimes it's an act of obedience to keep moving forward building our spiritual muscles. Sometimes I hear God plainly and other times, struggle to hear my own voice. Discernment isn't easy. To discern mean more than to understand or to make a decision. Dis mans apart and cernere mean to separate. Thus from all the options before us we ‘separate apart’ those that seen uniquely suited to us. We do that when making a decision … [Read more...]
Good – Better – Best – Discernment Tools
Discernment is one of the main reasons people seek out a spiritual director. They genuinely desire to hear God clearer and experience the divine in a deeper way for guidance and growth. Discernment is intentional decision making in the light of God. This essential spiritual practice is one we keep learning about on our entire walk with God. I have featured this practice several times in the past here and here on Healthy Spirituality. One of the difficulties in discernment is the multiple options we now have in our lives. Maybe we can choose between something wrong vs right or hateful vs. loving, but what about those gray areas with many in-between choices? Most of our possibilities fall in the middle of the spectrum with a large range of advantages and disadvantages. Good Better Best Use in the Foggy Middle One technique I have been using when discerning my next right step is to list the viable and realistic choices and then rate them: Good, Better, Best. To be … [Read more...]
Discernment – The Next Right Thing
What is Discernment? Discernment, doing the next right thing, is making decisions while discovering and articulating how God is shaping our lives. Discernment is listening to God in faith to live fully in how he created us and called us to do in his work in the world. Discernment isn't easy. Sometimes life is confusing. The signs we see are real. Yet we still get lost in this world. Discernment I shared this road sign a number of years ago that was erected in a nearby city. Imagine you are driving north in traffic. You need to know if you should turn or keep going straight. Quickly what does this sign mean? I wrote on the blog post: "East is still east and west is still west in my county, Here Ohio 15 runs north and south for the last 80 years, but that is not what the sign signifies. In their wisdom of seeing the whole picture, the Ohio Department of Transportation replaced the road sign recently, striving for consistency throughout the state. State Route 15 is … [Read more...]
Desiring Discernment
Discernment accompanies many of my interactions with others in spiritual direction. Directees seek where God is touching their lives. They listen for his guidance, his presence and often they hear their own voices in what needs tending. What is Discernment? For me discernment is discovering and articulating how God is moving in our lives. We listen deeply together to identify how the spirit is guiding us in our daily steps and major life moves. Discernment is the sorting/sifting through all our desires, voices, wants, and needs bombarding our soul and choosing what is best draws us towards God. I believe we all want to make the best decisions whether they are significant life changing ones or discerning how to best live in everyday life. Facing a difficult time of indecisiveness and confusion twists our guts and fogs our faith. How can we live and thrive and grow as discerning people? Discernment is more than decision making. To discern in Latin means to discernere –dis = … [Read more...]
Discernment – Lessons Learned
Discernment Discernment has been the theme for April's Tending the Holy Thursday posts. I find it fun and insightful to dig into a topic with more depth. This week I am sharing some lessons I have learned and pondered while studying discernment. May this topic help you through those difficult transitions and just plain daily choices. The first week we began with defining and exploring discernment, second week I shared tips and how-to's, and last week's post of quotes and resources. You may want to read or review them as you need. Discernment – Lessons Learned. Discernment is more than decision-making. Yes, we use discernment at times of major life transitions and crossroads, but this practice also enhances our daily living. Living a discerning life is " hearing a deeper sound beneath the noise of ordinary life and seeing through appearances to the interconnectedness of all things, to gain a vision of how things hand together in our lives and in the world." Henri … [Read more...]
Discernment Quotes and Resources
Discernment is the theme for April's Tending the Holy Thursday posts. This week I am including quotes to inspire you when pondering discernment and some resources to help you along the way. Next week I summarize the lessons we all can learn by living a discerning life. May this deepening topic help you through those difficult transitions and just plain daily choices. This is the third week to explore discernment. The first week we began with defining and exploring discernment and last week I shared tips and how-to's. Quotes to Ponder about Discernment Enjoy the following words of wisdom and feel free to share them on social media and/or Pinterest: "It's funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools - friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty - and said 'do … [Read more...]