Sources of Discernment
Last week, Bryan did a great job articulating what discernment is, and why it matters to us as followers of Jesus. Discernment is bigger and broader than just decision-making, figuring out God's will for our lives, or judging between good and bad/right and wrong/of God and not of God. We see discernment as something that's cultivated over a lifetime, and that it's more about who we are becoming through the decisions that we make, rather than just the decisions themselves.
Our very simple definition of discernment is living in light of our transforming relationship with God.
So, what helps us to do that? How do we develop eyes, ears, hearts, and minds that are more and more in tune with the voice and presence of God? How can we begin to notice God at work around us, in our day to day moments? What helps us to become more discerning people? In this post, we'll take a look at some sources of discernment that help us to do just that -- some that may be obvious to you, and others that may be a bit unexpected.
Andrew Svk, Unsplash
SCRIPTURE
We know scripture is alive, and God-breathed, and filled with life-giving wisdom and truth. But it's more than that. It's God's revelation of Himself to us. One of the primary ways we come to know the heart of Christ is through His word. If discernment is founded in knowing and loving God, then we need scripture to become more discerning Jesus followers.
It's also okay to acknowledge that engaging the bible doesn't come easy for all of us. Reading it and allowing God to speak to us through it requires effort on our part. And it will challenge us, frustrate us, and poke at our notions and interpretations of truth. But it will also resonate within us, stir up hope, and draw us to the God who loves us.
I think it's worth pausing enough to understand how we are interpreting scripture, i.e., what our main hermeneutic (or lens of interpretation) is. What is the foundational truth of faith that undergirds how we approach, read, and live out the Word of God? For me, it's knowing that I am God's beloved, responding to Him in love, and extending that love out to others. The love of God is my own foundational hermeneutical lens. What's yours? Take a moment to articulate it, if you can!
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Having a decent hermeneutic is one thing, but we can't even begin to understand scripture or walk in discernment without the Holy Spirit. It's the Spirit of God that guides us into all truth (John 14:26), forms us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), and pours God's love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). All of this is foundational to discernment, and really to the Christian life. And the wonderful, astounding, mind-boggling reality is that this same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells within you and me.
PRAYER
Prayer seems an obvious one, but for many of us, prayer can be a sincere struggle. (Perhaps our next workshop will be on prayer! Yes?) At the heart of prayer, though, is communion with the living God. We come to God with the simple desire of knowing and being known by Him, and He meets us there. He promises us that He will.
Too often in prayer, though, we come to God with our requests, pain, fear, longings, and hopes, and then we stop there. We don't pause enough to listen to His response. A forgotten part of prayer is listening. I have a working theory that God is always, always speaking to us. We just sincerely need help in learning to listen to Him. Perhaps, the next time you come to the Lord in prayer, you begin by asking God to speak first, and you allow your own spirit to listen to His.
RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNITY
Community and trusted people in our lives is one of the most significant sources of discernment. We are relational beings at our core, and we are made to be transformed by and through relationship. We become who we are in large part because of the other people in our lives (for better and worse!). A close friend, parent, sibling, spouse or significant other, mentor, small group leader, grandparent, neighbor, coworker...so many people in our lives can provide a sounding board, wisdom, and insight for our decisions, because they often know the best and worst parts of us. They are also a vehicle for the transforming love of God, and we cannot know the fullness of God and life with Him without being in close proximity to others. We are, as we often say, not just saved from sin and death, but also into the kingdom and family of God.
There are also relationships of authority and leadership that can be helpful in our discernment. We live in a time when authority is totally questioned, and anyone in leadership is regarded with suspicion. I know we're experiencing this for good reasons, but we also have some wonderful pastors, bosses, and leaders in our lives that can actually offer sound wisdom. And most of them are in their roles because they care deeply about you. Don't miss out on how their insight and listening ear can aid in discerning the voice and presence of God!
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Another relationship that can be so, so helpful in growing our discernment muscles is a spiritual director. A spiritual director won't tell you what to do, but rather listens to God and prays alongside you. In many ways, spiritual direction is really co-discernment, as the spiritual director "dusts for the fingerprints of God," as our friend Sharon Wada likes to say. A good spiritual director is simply paying attention to what God is doing in your life and helping you to grow in the same attentiveness!
AWARENESS OF OUR OWN SOULS, MINDS, AND HEARTS
In Ps. 139, the psalmist asks God to search him and see what is in the deepest parts of him. We can participate in that process, and allow God to show us what He finds within us. Becoming aware of the state of our own soul, mind, and heart is actually an important part of the discernment process, because it's an important part of our spiritual lives. (If you're worried that this sounds too much like self-involved navel-gazing, give our recent blog post a read!)
LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES AND PRACTICAL REALITIES
Weighing in the very real and practical implications of our lives is an important part of discernment. We have limitations on our lives, and that's okay. Sometimes God asks us to take a great step of faith, knowing that we may be risking something. And sometimes we also have to consider our loved ones and families, limited resources (time, finances, energy, etc.), and commitments. The wonderful thing is that God holds all of these things in His sovereign hands, and He'll work out His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
OUR BODIES
We are embodied beings, and whether we acknowledge it or not, we've always made decisions with our bodies as human beings. We claim to "feel things in our gut" and we experience intuition in a physical way. We carry stress in our bodies; we experience joy in our bodies. We live in our bodies, and we have a God who knows what this means Himself. What physical cues, responses, and senses are being communicated to you through your body, and how might God be using them to speak to you?
WISDOM
When Solomon asked God to make him wise, and to give him a discerning mind and heart, God was so, so pleased. The very desire to become more discerning and wise is a delight and a joy to God, and He's given us a deep well to draw from in the scriptures and in the many, many faithful saints that have come before us.
OUR MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES
Theologian Miroslav Volf wrote that "we are not just shaped by memories; we ourselves shape the memories that shape us" (The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World, 25). The act of remembrance is a critical part to the spiritual life, and is something that's talked about frequently in scripture. We are called to remember God's faithfulness, to recall His goodness and to not forget His good gifts. Whenever Israel started to forget God's power and presence, they got themselves into some trouble (remember the golden calf incident?). It can be helpful to ask: What do my past experiences and memories teach me about God in this present moment?
This list is in no way exhaustive! Many other things help us in our discernment, such as theology, church tradition, a simple pros-and-cons lists, reason and logic, and more. This is just a starting place, and hopefully gives you a good idea of where to begin!
Share with us: What other sources of discernment have been helpful to you?
An excellent resource we've found to be helpful in utilizing some of these sources in discernment is Elizabeth Liebert's The Way of Discernment. She includes her own sources of discernment, as well as some beautiful prayer practices to try as you're seeking to become more discerning.