Discernment

I remember the gist of the story which is to say I do not remember all the details.  The story is recorded in "A Song of Ascents, " an autobiographical work of E. Stanley Jones.  Anyone who reads about the great spiritual giants of the last century will run into his name.  As the story goes, he was at the point between finishing his college education and choosing the direction of his career.  Some were telling him God wanted him to stay at Asbury College and teach.  Others were saying God wanted him to go to Africa as a missionary.  He prayed and got up to say, "It is India" and to the land of India he went to become a great missionary evangelist.

 

It is not always easy to discern what God is saying when trusted others are telling us what God wants us to do.  In her book, "The Soul's Ripening,"  Christine Valters Paintner writes, "Discernment is essentially a way of listening to our lives and the world around us and responding to the invitations that call us into deeper alignment with our soul's deep desires and the desires God has for us."  According to this definition, discernment is a spiritual process that finally comes down to the seeking individual and God.  Others may be given the opportunity for input, but it finally boils down to a personal moment of coming to terms with the inner being.

 

And, in addition to the temptation to listen to the voices of others, there is also the powerful temptation to listen to our own voice speaking what we think is the best of all the options.  Aligning our soul within the will of God is not usually a speedy process, but one that requires quiet unhurried time that is bookended with prayer.  When the process of discernment has a quick resolution, it may be that we are jumping ahead of the Holy Spirit who has a knack for working at a much slower pace than you or I would choose.