Three Images of Discernment

Today I would like to return to the topic of discernment.

I concluded my last entry by mentioning the common thread I noticed within virtually all vocation stories. Whether in the priesthood, religious life or married life, I would invariably hear described in each story a personal moment when the discerner began to notice something drawing him or her towards a certain vocation. Sometimes this “something” was a great event, but more usually it was something small, something which an outsider wouldn’t notice or would regard as insignificant.

For some people it was a moment in prayer. For others it was a throwaway comment from a friend or stranger. For yet others, it was the reading of a familiar piece of Scripture, but in a new, personal way. This deep intuition, one awakened, put their life into focus and they began to feel an attraction towards a particular vocation in the same way a magnet is attracted to metal.

Three Images of Discernment

In recognizing the similarity between so many vocation stories, three mental images have formed in my head of the discernment process. I have found these helpful and I offer them here in the hope that they will be of aid to others.

1. Discernment is…clearing your field
The first image is that of a cleared field. If one had to look for something in a field which was full of detritus it would be extremely difficult. One would first want to clear the field and have the brush and weeds removed. Once cleared, what remains could be inspected more easily and without distraction.

In terms of discernment, this means taking time out and creating space in your life to allow you to see more clearly how it is the Lord is leading you. This means being less busy and choosing very carefully the ministries in which you will continue to serve during the time of discernment. Clearing your field means spending more time with God in prayer, dealing with your past wounds, your fears and removing all that hinders (Hebrews 12:1)  so that you may clearly discern God’s will.

2. Discernment is…Zatoichi, the blind swordsman
Okay, this one is a little weird, but I guess this just shows how my mind works… 😉

I’ve always loved martial arts films and I guess this second image demonstrates this. The “cleared field” described above is unfortunately not always possible. It’s not easy to completely clear all the undergrowth. Even if every effort to made to make space in one’s life, sometimes it’s just not always possible to clear everything away. This is where this second image comes in to play…

Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, is part of Japanese fiction and there have been many movies made featuring this character. Zatoichi, although deprived of his sight, wields his a sword with greater accuracy than those gifted with sight, because of Zatoichi’s inner focus. He has a heightened awareness and sensitivity to unseen forces.

In terms of discernment, this image represents the finding of peace, that inner balance and focus in the midst of a tumultuous, noisy world.

At the moment a lot is going on in my life – I’m in need of a little bit of that Zatoichi focus…

3. Discernment is…raising the sail on your sailboat
This final image is probably my favourite. There is always the temptation to try discern in one’s own strength alone. I think this is why I tied myself in knots when I went through discernment in my mid-twenties. In my zeal I somehow developed the idea that if I tried hard enough and strained hard enough I would be able to hear God’s voice through my own effort.

Using a sailing metaphor, it was like I was frantically and erratically rowing around a vast, vast ocean – rowing first in one direction, then trying another and then another. Doing this was, quite frankly, exhausting!

I therefore offer this alternative image, that of a sail. Discernment is the raising of our ship’s sail and letting the winds of grace move us, albeit sometimes very gently, towards our habour and the home God has prepared for us.

UPDATE: I later found out that St. Augustine stole this image from me…