by: Marilyn Kirvin
People are making choices all the time. Sometimes the choices are major ones, such as “should I marry this person?,” or “should I take this job in Alaska or stay where I am”? Other times our choices are smaller ones, like “do I take this evening class or spend more time with my kids?” or “do I volunteer for this cause that I care about or do something creative that I enjoy?” And then there are the ongoing decisions that we all make every day, about our budgets, our health, our friendships, and so on.
In reflecting on my own record of making choices (it is checkered, at best), and those of the people who’ve seen me for spiritual direction, it seems to me that this whole area is fraught with confusion. Sometimes we don’t even think to bring God into our choice-making processes – the things we’re making choices about seem so small – does God really care about such things? At other times, we just aren’t sure how to “access” God’s guidance – praying, perhaps, for a “sign,” or making lists of pro’s and con’s, and hoping we’ll somehow be shown the next step. All of this brings up questions: Does God have a “will” for me? Is there a right choice (God’s will) and a wrong choice, and if I make the wrong choice, will my life be ruined? And, again, does God even care what I do?
Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, struggled with these questions himself. After his conversion experience, he found himself trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. Some of the stories of his early choice-making are rather comical (he was sure he was being called to minister in the Holy Land, but as soon as he got there, the Franciscans in charge immediately put him back on a boat heading home), but through his experiences he honed a method of listening and choosing that can be supremely useful to individuals, couples and groups in our own time.
The Ignatian practice of Discernment offers practical ways in which to prayerfully consider our choices, and ask God to give us light and guidance. Author Elizabeth Liebert writes, “Discernment is the process of intentionally becoming aware of how God is present, active, and calling us as individuals and communities so that we can respond with increasingly greater faithfulness.”
This method of discernment also can help groups who are making decisions about issues. Often church groups want their choices to be guided by God, but because we don’t know how to make God’s guidance accessible to us, we begin with a prayer for God’s blessing, and then let other things, such as finances or practicality, guide us. Ignatian discernment seeks to bring every part of a decision to the table – including finances and practicality – and then ask God to help our choices to be in line with God’s choices for us and for our communities.
The Franciscan Spiritual Center is offering a series on Ignatian Discernment on five consecutive Wednesday evenings, beginning January 13. In the series we will learn a process for an integrated listening for God’s presence in our life experiences and decisions, prayerfully consider guidelines for discernment taught by St. Ignatius, and experience small group sharing and support. For more information, go to http://www.francisspctr.com/prayful-dicernment.php
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