Discernment--a spiritual compass

Discernment. 

It's one of those "big" words, one of those "heavy", "deep" words.  It's something I've been trying to practice more.  It's something I want more of. (sorry for the hanging preposition.)

My discernment "radar" was fairly strong at one time.  I had been able to grow and strengthen the muscles.  But something happened in my life that caused me to doubt my discerning abilities.  It took several years to regain some of that lost ground, to get to the point where I felt that I could discern once again.  It's an ongoing process.

I looked up the word in my daughter's dictionary, and it wasn't there.  I think children need to know what discernment means.  Since I didn't want to go to the boxes in the basement, I decided to use an online dictionary. 

Merriam-Webster Online says that discernment is "the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure".  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discernment

It lists some synonyms for discernment: wisdom, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience.

So, besides wanting more of it (discernment), why would I talk about it here on my blog about journeys and adventure?  Good question.  In fact, questions help us live into the answers.  Questions help us discern. :)

I'm reading Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith by Diana Butler Bass (Harper, 2006).   I just read Chapter 6 "Discernment: Listening for Truth" this morning. 

Here are some thoughts that struck me in her writing:

"But Christian tradition points toward something more mundane: discernment as a practice that can be developed through participation in reflection, questions, prayer, and community." (p. 91)

"Discernment is a gift to the whole of the Christian community, one that can be strengthened and nurtured by engaging the practice.  Discernment serves as a kind of spiritual compass, helping us negotiate the unfamiliar territory of our truest selves as we seek to find meaning in God's call." (91)

"spiritual compass"-- What a great analogy!!  It fits so well with the image of hiking through the wilderness.  Wow!!  That's very powerful to me.

Butler Bass mentions Frederick Schmidt, an Episcopal priest who sees discernment as "...fundamentally a practice of asking "God-questions" instead of "I-questions." (94)

Wendy Wright is quoted: "Discernment requires that we pay attention." (96)

Butler Bass acknowledges: "You have to pay attention when you are not entirely sure where you are going." (96) 

This is so true!  Think about a time that you were driving somewhere new or even hiking a new trail.  You paid attention.  You noticed the environment around you.  You looked for signs, whether they were road signs or trail blazes showing the way.  You were intentional as you went along your way.  Once we become familiar with a road or a trail, we tend to pay less attention to the things around us.  We just "go". 

Butler Bass says: "Discernment is an odd guide, however, for it not only points the way on the journey but is a sort of destination in itself." (96)

"In emerging Christianity, discernment is the spiritual process through which metanoia, being "born again" in God's truth, beauty, and love, occurs." (97)  [Metanoia is discussed prior on the same page and Butler Bass explains that it means "a radical change of mind and heart that redirects our whole being." (97)]

My curiosity is piqued.  I want to know more about this word "metanoia" than I have read here.  So, here I go.... I'm going to take a side trail here.  If you prefer, have a seat on that rock or log over there.  I'll be back in a few.

Merriam-Webster Online says "metanoia" means: "a transformative change of heart; especially : a spiritual conversion". http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metanoia   It also says: "Greek, from metanoiein to change one's mind, repent, from meta- + noein to think, from nous mind.  First Known Use: 1577"

From a church website that uses "metanoia" in its name, I learned: "METANOIA (meta-noy-ah) is an ancient Greek word that reflects a conscious decision to reorient your life in a way that your whole being – body, mind and soul - moves in a new direction. Commonly translated as ‘repentance’, this word is used in the New Testament to refer to the life-altering, voluntary decision first century Christ-followers made to move toward wholeness and belief in Jesus Christ." http://metanoiachurch.org/  (I found their five areas of prayer focus to be refreshing and encouraging.) http://metanoiachurch.org/?p=995

So, I got off trail a little bit and learned more about metanoia.  Interesting!  Now, back to discernment. 

This caught my attention.  Butler Bass quotes Tom from one of the churches: "...If you aren't looking for it, you will never see it.  Well, I'm looking for it because it has become part of what we do.  I might not have noticed God's presence before, but I'm more attuned to it now." (100)

"Listening, paying attention to the Spirit, new awareness.  When pursued in community, discernment became a shaping practice..." (100)

The last line of the chapter:  "Discernment welcomes pilgrims to the feast." (102)  Hmmm....  That sounds very inviting. 

Do you pay attention to the promptings of the Spirit?  Do you act on them?  Where do you see God at work in your day to day life?  What do you hear God calling you to do?

Follow your spiritual compass.  Remember to bring along others on the journey.  They can help you reflect, you can help them reflect.

May your journey be an adventure!

~Debra

PS—For those who are interested, metanoia is Strong’s G3341. Check this link out for more information: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3341&t=KJV