Step 19: Discernment

“Among beginners, discernment is real self-knowledge; among those midway along the road to perfection, it is the spiritual capacity to distinguish unfailingly between what is truly good and what in nature is opposed to the good; among the perfect, it is a knowledge resulting from divine illumination, which with its lamp can light up what is dark in others.”

--St. John Climacus

“Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

--Romans 12:2

Discernment comes after humility on The Ladder of Divine Ascent because discernment requires teachability.  Wisdom is only found by those who are humble enough to know they need it.

Climacus subdivides the step of discernment into three levels.  The first and most basic is discernment concerning the state of my own soul.  In the tradition, in the shared life of the community and by the leading of the Spirit God reveals what is good.  In applying that knowledge I begin with myself.  I need to get to know myself.  That’s not as easy as it might sound.  It takes courage and insight to do honest self-appraisal.  It involves knowing my weaknesses and the temptations that are most troublesome for me as well as my strengths and talents.  Most of us are neither as good nor as bad as we think we are.  That may sound strange but it’s true.  Discernment begins by being able to take inventory of what God and I have to work with.

The next step after learning the good and knowing myself is to discern what is good for me.  By that I mean what is the good that God wants me to do.  There are lots of good things a person can do.  I can’t do all of them.  What role does God have for me with my unique combination of strengths and weaknesses (you can see now why self understanding is important)?  The guidance of the Holy Spirit helps us.  He speaks through prayer and meditation.  Getting input from mature Christians that we trust is also very important.  And listen to your desires.  Don’t be afraid to entertain the possibility that what you want to do is what you should do.  That’s not always the case, but often it is.

Climacus reserves the last step, discernment concerning others, only for “the perfect.”  There is nothing more rewarding than walking with others as they discern God’s will for them, but we need to do so with great humility and caution.  Some of us find it hard to mind our own business and fight the temptation to avoid offering unsolicited advice.  Even when someone asks our opinion it’s usually better to just listen and ask questions and resist the urge to make pronouncements.

Discernment is a virtue that requires a great deal of cultivation.  It takes time spent with Scripture and in prayer.  It takes practice and there are no shortcuts.  The good thing is that God promises to help us.  If we seek, we will find.

Prayer:

O God, show us your ways.  Lead us in the path you would have us follow so that your will might be done.  Renew us and use us to renew the world, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

St. John Climacus, pray for us.