“Let it be done to me according to Thy Word”.  Mary, the Mother of our Lord

“Lord, you know the hearts of all people, which one have you chosen?”  Acts 1

Today is Pentecost.  The observation and celebration of the outpouring of the Gift of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples in tongues as of fire, in order to allow them to speak the Gospel in “tongues” of those gathered there.  This certainly is a miraculous gift of the Spirit.  But there is another that is common to us all and available for any occasion.  One that is overlooked, but absolutely essential.  It is the Gift of Discernment.

Discernment is the humble desire to be led into the ineffable mystery of God through the Spirit so that one may have a clear sense of  God’s will in the ambiguities of life, and thus fully live the life Christ has called us into.

A short definition is being open to seeing God’s will and then faithfully following.

The foundational principals for discernment are the following:

God is Love and Loves Me fiercely!

God knows me intimately and desires for me to know God as well.

In knowing God better I will better know God’s will. 

So how do we know God’s will?  The truth is sometimes we don’t.  That’s the purpose of faith.  But to the extent that we can it is essential to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus says that the Spirit will lead us into truth. How do we know that truth?  There are a number of ways.

First is the Word.  By this I don’t mean a slavish commitment to the Bible in which one uses passages as proof of something. This too easily leads to judgment and great harm.  Rather, it is a deep familiarity with the Living Word as one’s soul friend, so that it is soaking and seeping in and through one’s own spirit.  Like the blood that flows through our veins, so too the Word flows through our very being.

Next is Wisdom.  Not knowledge. They are different things.  Back in the old days people who went to college but had no sense of what life was really about were referred to as “educated fools”.  Wisdom in discernment means not merely functioning from the head, or one’s cognition, but from the heart.  And what aids in heart wisdom?  Things like nature, intuition, dreams and your body.  People often-times ignore these, especially the body. 

Think for a moment of the messages your body sends you.  Whether that be when you have a head-ache as a result of being too stressed out in a job that you hate, or when you’re in an uncomfortable situation and have that empty or gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach.  Just as the Word took on flesh and dwelt among us, so too God has enfleshed our spirits.  We are not mere phantoms, and therefore must pay attention to the messages being sent from our bodies.

One other source of wisdom that is frequently ignored are other people who have been placed into our lives.  This might be a circle of close friends, who listen to us carefully.  And then ask us questions to help us clarify. And finally, perhaps, tell us not merely what we WANT to hear, but what we NEED to.  This circle includes not only those who are visibly with us, but spiritually as well.  The angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.  The saints, referred to as the great cloud of witnesses in the book of Hebrews.

So then, how will we know if we’ve made a “right” decision?  Maybe we won’t.  I can assure you it won’t be because everything in life turns out well.  Think of those first disciples.  They practiced discernment, and yet eleven of the twelve died as martyrs.  Rather than focusing on the tangible results or the “success ratio”, perhaps it is best to pay attention to the “intangibles”.  By this I mean the sense of peace that we experience.  After coming to a conclusion for whatever question are we calm and content with the decision that has been made?  Are we experiencing divine delight?  And perhaps most importantly do we feel spiritual freedom? So dear friend, what question is on your mind this day?  What life decision are you facing?  How might you seek the Spirit’s guidance to lead you into your truth, and thus experience the gift of discernment?