The eCrozier

This is the sixth in a series of Ecroziers on the practices of the Christian Faith

Discernment

Discernment is the practice of seeking to identify God’s will and then moving with spiritual openness towards it. I have found the Ignatian approach to discernment quite helpful as a spiritual practice. What follows is a brief summary of that practice. I invite you to use this yourself and share it with others.

First, we seek to clarify the discernment. To do that we need to state the issue as clearly as possible, e.g., I don’t like my current job. The Acme Company has offered me a job in Starbridge. I do not know if I should take it. I do not want to live in Starbridge, but it is a great job offer. Clarify the issue even further, e.g., I don’t know whether to accept the new job in Starbridge or not.”)  Faithful discernment comes as we get clear on what the real issue is.

Second, we begin to pray for the grace of objectivity, what Ignatius called detachment.  We want to be able to say: Thy will not mine be done and mean it.  We want to avoid having a preference for a particular outcome and wanting God to agree with it.  Here we seek openness to the new thing God may be doing.

Third, write the discernment as a choice on a legal pad in two vertical columns: I’ll take the job in Starbridge or I won’t take the job in Starbridge. Over the next few days, write under each column thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that occur to you about the two choices. It might help by asking yourself: What will be gained in choosing one of these?  What will be lost in that choice?  How could each choice benefit others? How could each disrupt the lives of others? What excites you about each? Next, pray over what you have written and then wait without trying to rush to discernment.

Fourth, bring in others in your church whom you trust that they may pray with you. Ask them to share what they discern for you. Then begin to watch for possible signs of God’s response in the people, things, and circumstances of your life.

Fifth, live for a couple of days as though you had made one choice, then live a couple of days as though you had made the other choice. In each instance, prayerfully ask God for confirmation of the choice. As you pray, pay attention to experiences of fluctuating peace and agitation and do not allow any anxiety you experience to force the discernment. Take note if moving toward a particular conclusion brings a sense of peace, consolation, and rightness. This is a strong indicator it is of God.

No process of discernment is perfect, so we must work through such discernment always with less than perfect clarity. The above practice works toward faithfulness even, as St Paul reminds us: “we look through a glass darkly.”

+Scott