Discerning the Discernment process October 21, 2009
Posted by isaiah6113 in Uncategorized.trackback
A question that I hear a lot is “how do I know if it is God’s will?”. This is a good question to be asking, but the answer is not as cut and dried in as many circumstances as we would like it to be. I have dealt with my own questions of knowing what God wants me to do in certain situations, as we all have.
Does God want us to do something very specific in every situation we encounter? Or, are there several options, so to speak, that are presented to us, each with its own specific outcome?
Also, how does God speak to people about what to do? In scripture (only)? Prayer? Other Godly people? Through supernatural means? Through spiritualists and mediums? In the clouds? Through a fleece placed on the ground? A combination of many things?
I think one of the most important things to remember about discernment is that it is a process and not something that can be forced or done under our own time table. Every time I have tried to jump ahead of where God was leading me I ended up failing. For this reason I would suggest that patience is a key step in the process of discernment.
Thoughts?
Shalom!
My short answer: “It depends”. My sense is that God is neither puppet master nor divine clock-maker.
I used to be terrified of making “wrong” decisions and risking both my soul and my entire future of blessings because somehow I got “it” wrong. Looking back from where I now experience the Holy I understand that concept of God as being limiting and less than mature. I then understood God as somehow limiting me to a single path. “Narrow the gate…” and a judgmental experience of God were the primary spiritual understandings I had.
I tried. Oh God, how I tried. And failed… regularly. I tried in big and small things. How about two careers that I invested with financial committments, time and emotional energies that led to seemingly dead ends? “Wasted” was how I experienced them. Wasted and a failure was how I experienced my life. Having no choice but to abandon those directions I prayerfully tried another path, then another.
I racked up so many dead ends and failures, so many attempts at supporting my family and helping others that didn’t last for different reasons that the list of things I’ve done sometimes impresses even me. With my back to the wall and a “failure identity” I finally gave my sense of Call an honest consideration and ended up in ministry.
I still wonder about some of those abandoned opportunities. “I coulda been a contenduh” is a tempting refrain:
a) If I’d stayed with a couple of those careers just a few more years.
2) If I’d invested the same energies in a slightly different version of my choices.
3) If I’d pursued the government jobs instead of private ones.
4) If I’d entered ministry the first time I sensed my Call….
The list goes on and on.
But now all those “wasted” experiences have a context. I can connect as a peer to nearly everyone in the community in some way. I would not be able to share “agape” in the same way, would not have nearly as many doors open into relationships with mental health, law enforcement, hospice & health care ministries, local government communities. Ministry has reclaimed all those “wasted” and “failure” experiences.
My experience of God now is one of grace and transformation. “All things work together for good…” is not something that I preach often but it is near the center of how I experience God.
Rather than narrowly limiting my options for choosing the few, correct life options (righteousness) I sense the generosity of my Creator in offering a wealth of choices. The challenge is no longer picking the one right one out of the many options, but to pick one out of many that will each transform into some nuanced and formative experience if lived out by a Disciple. My challenge is no longer choosing right paths, but in living as a Disciple.
Much easier on the conscience. More spiritually challenging and multi-dimensional. Much more interesting too.