Discernment is an important process in every Christian’s life. This is the case not only in calls to vocation but also decisions that affect daily life. Understanding good and evil and properly diagnosing proper choices in life help the Christian navigate the troubled waters of temporal existence.
Vocation is more than just one’s eventual role in life but also one’s daily duty and position everyday in life. It is important to continually strive to fulfill one’s daily duty and help others find their role. Discernment and guidance are key in these choices. Proper discernment is based in prayer and imitation of Christ in fulfilling God’s will. However, even with prayer, we can sometimes doubt. Learning how to discern and dissect moral decisions can be more difficult than it appears. Sometimes it takes time to finally find God’s will and answer to you.
The article, “WHAT IS IGNATIAN DISCERNMENT?” by Rev. Doug Leonhardt, S.J. looks at how St Ignatius Loyola utilized prayer, meditation and logical thinking based in philosophy and morality to come to discernment conclusions. The article states,
“Pondering and noticing interior movements of attraction and heaviness are at the heart of Ignatian discernment. Discernment involves prayer and weighing facts and feelings about the several good choices which ultimately leads to a choice about what is the best fit for an individual. In the traditional language of Christianity, good Christians try to find the will of God for their lives. They look for signs but often when no clear signs are given, they make a decision and then ask God to bless it. ”
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Discernment in choice, path, endeavor and even regarding spirits and people are important parts in Christian spirituality. It is important to learn how to form a strong Christian moral compass that helps guide one’s conscience. Through wisdom granted by the Holy Spirit and an offering of all one does to God, one can be more confident that the right choice or feeling will eventually emerge.
Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Christian Counseling.