SPEND TIME IN PRAYER
A lot of mornings I’m up between 5 and 6 o’clock, holding my coffee cup, sitting in darkness, staring out the window, and sitting before the face of God. It’s open space to think, to figure things out, to sort the day, to pray over my calendar, to pray for myself and others, and to offer it all up to God. On the days I can’t do this, I miss it.
ASK WHAT FILLS YOU UP
What fills you up and restores you? What wears you out and depletes you? What do you want more of? What do you want less of?
CHOOSE THE NEXT RIGHT THING
We don’t have to know everything all at once. We don’t have to live our whole life’s plan or the whole Vision Statement; we just have to know what’s at the end of the flashlight beam: baby steps, one step at a time. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Just listen for the next right thing.
ENGAGE THE VIEW FROM THE BALCONY
Imagine yourself going up to a balcony and looking down on your challenge. What do you see? Can you figure things out a little more easily from up there? What will you observe looking down on that scenario in five years? Ten years? Go up to the balcony anytime you need more perspective.
EMBRACE SILENCE
You can sit or walk or drive in your car. Embracing silence without distraction or chatter is automatically clarifying. “Silence serves as a colander,” Emily Freeman says. Picture all the excess, all the detritus, all the non-essentials draining out of that colander, leaving behind that which is most important or necessary. Listen to God. Listen to yourself.
RESPOND TO THE QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?
This basic but profound question has helped me a lot. In Mark 10, Jesus arrives in Jericho and blind beggar Bartimaeus is sitting by the roadside shouting out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stops and stands still and says: “What do you want me to do for you?” I imagine God asking me this question and then the field narrows and all kinds of things become indelibly clear. Perhaps you’d like to try it.
WEAR THE PANTS THAT FIT (This little phrase is adapted from Emily Freeman.)
Think about all the pairs of pants you have worn in your adult life -- some too small that you’ve tried to squeeze into, some too large that were overly baggy. You may have experienced wistfulness, thinking that someday you might again fit into those not-quite-right pants. Reflect on the pants that fit just right and how easy and comfortable they are. Use that as a spiritual metaphor for just about anything.
How does the “wear the pants that fit” metaphor apply right now:
To your ministry?
To your home life?
To your friendships?
To your church?
To your dreams?
Anywhere else you’d like to test that metaphor?
Where is there discernment for you here? Does anything become clearer?
DON’T WASTE YOUR SUFFERING.
For years I have used this discernment meditation “Reflecting on Difficulty” by Jack Kornfield.
How have I treated this difficulty so far?
How have I suffered by my own response and reaction to it?
What does this problem ask me to let go of?
What suffering is unavoidable, is my measure to accept?
What great lesson might it be able to teach me?
What is the gold, the value, hidden in this situation?
RECALL YOUR FAVORITE DISCERNMENT QUOTATIONS. (These are some of mine.)
Love your neighbor as yourself.
—Mark 12:31
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde
I’ve seen trouble and this ain’t it.
— Dave Wilson (Holly Whitcomb’s father)
Go through the door that’s open.
— Toinette Lippe
Questions to Ponder
- What spiritual space do you need for discernment and how have you been finding it?
- How do you generally receive discernment?
- What does “sitting before the face of God” mean to you?
- How do prayer and silence offer you clarity?
- Which of these tools for discernment have you utilized before or which ones do you think might be helpful?
- What favorite quotations have offered you perspective?
- What scriptures have provided guidance for you?
