Ways of Discerning

Our life’s journey can be filled with many twists, turns and dead ends. There are many ways and methods for discerning our life’s path. We often plan our days or our futures out of desire, compulsion, or encouragement.

These present times are far from ordinary. The unknown is ever before us, so we need a good guidance system. The Three Kings in sacred scripture followed the star and were guided to give gifts that had meaning to them. Even their dreams posed guiding words. [Matthew 2:12 “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”]

We need to make choices to move forward. However, even when we start with prayer, there is not always a clear path. I often make choices with a pure heart, but sometimes the choices turn out to be incorrect. At times I feel lost like the wild pig that runs in circles trying to find its way.

Fortunately, God is like our GPS, and we hear messages such as, “At the next available opportunity, make a U turn”. God is always ready to show us the way. Perhaps the way we had chosen was sinful, an incorrect choice or a moment of wandering. In any case, God will guide us to the right path. If we make our choices from a pure heart, we can stay focused on following the path of our Divine leader. As it says so often in sacred scripture, we are God’s beloved.

There are many tools for and methods of discernment. Much is written on the topic. Some examples are the method of St. Ignatius or the writings of Henri Nouwen. Another is spiritual direction or as more recently termed, spiritual companioning. We can use sacred scripture as a tool to reflect on the life of Jesus. These all involve prayer, a turning to the Divine Guide.

For me, each of these have been part of my journey at one time or another. I do make mistakes from time to time, but I am always redirected to the path of God’s desire.

How do you find the path of God’s desire for you?