DISCERNMENT

The word discernment can often be a term that causes confusion. However, according to Rev. Charles J. Jackson, discernment is rooted in the understanding that God is ever at work in our lives − inviting, directing, guiding, drawing us into the fullness of life.

Although the process can be easily explained, it presupposes several things:

  1. That you can reflect on the people and events of life;
  2. That you can describe what you experience;
  3. That you have a habit of personal prayer;
  4. That you have a certain degree of self-knowledge and understanding;
  5. That you are able to know and articulate your deepest desires, and
  6. That you are open to God and receiving God’s direction.

An individual’s personal process can last from several months to several years and has no minimal requirement or expiration date. Some have described it as a life-long process that reaches far beyond one’s initial response.

So what is discernment?

Discernment’s central action is reflection on the ordinary events of our lives:

  1. It seeks to discover God’s presence in these moments and to follow the direction and guidance God gives us through grace.
  2. It is not the events themselves that are of interest, but rather the affective responses they evoke in us − feelings of joy, sorrow, peace, anxiety and the indefinable "somethings" that arise and stir within us.
  3. It is precisely here that through faith we can discover God’s direction and guidance in our lives.
  4. Discernment is a process of discovering God’s direction in the concrete reality of our day-to-day living.

It is important to recognize that the process of discernment involves coming to a decision by using both head and heart. God is not inviting the person you will become or the person you hope to be, but rather the person you are!