Engaging God in Discernment & Decision Making

Discernment and decision-making are things that always challenge us as we try to live our lives before God. Discerning his will, discerning our own roles in God's world, making decisions, keeping our own motivations in check -- all these things challenge us. Sometimes we do it well, and sometimes we don't. Today I want us to think a bit about engaging God more deeply in discernment & decision-making. It's a big subject, but I think you'll find some things here helpful.

Join me today as we discuss . . .

1. The two paradigms to discernment and decision-making (one is unhelpful very common, and the other is helpful but less common).

2. Why we get paralyzed in decision-making.

3. A healthy view of discernment that treats it more as a lifestyle than as an event.

4. The three ways God directs us according to St. Ignatius (1491-1556)

5. A fourth way God directs us according to me.

6. A deep dive into the practice of Examen (and yes, I spelled that right).

7. How to best involve others in the discernment process.

 

8. A helpful way to understand God's silence.

9. Keeping "no" answers in the proper perspective (learning to see beyond the "no").

At the end of the day, discernment is a practiced skill, less of an event than something lived out in relationship with a Father who loves you deeply. Don't forget that.

Resources for Today's Show:

• R. M. Dougherty, Discernment: A Path to Spiritual Awakening. Washington, DC: Shalem (2009).

• Ernest Larkin, Silent Presence: Discernment as Process and Problem. Dimension (1998).

• Ruth Haley Barton, “Discernment: Finding God in All Things." 

 

Thanks for joining us today. I hope you’ll join us again next week.

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Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved.