Discerning.
When God grants this supernatural favor to the soul, so great a union is caused that all the things of both God and the soul become one in participant transformation, and the soul appears to be God more than a soul. Indeed, it is God by participation.
~ St. John of the Cross
Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.
~ Romans 12:2, msg
new years, 4
The new year’s theme of Incarnatio is a clarion call to “have done with lesser things” and to take up the mantle of looking like Jesus so that Christ shines in and through us in a dark world. As inspiring as this invitation sounds, we have to first dismantle our assumptions about what Christ-in-us should look like—our assumptions about how faith shapes our politics, our finances, our relationships, and all the other facets of daily life. We must admit that we have been culturally conditioned to interpret the Christlife through both church and society.
Thus, the pressing need of the moment is for discernment.
Ruth Haley Barton defines discernment as the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and activity of God, and I will be leading an Anglican church leadership team through Barton’s group discernment process in a couple weeks. Whether it’s recognizing the currents of the Spirit in our individual lives or in our collective lives, we simply cannot enter into divine union with passion and purpose without intentionally cultivating this holy attentiveness.
In short, the genuineness of your Incarnatio rises or falls upon the quality of your discernment.
Paul makes the connection between transformation and discernment explicit in Romans 12:2, where he challenges us to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God. This connection travels both directions: the more discerning we become, the more inner transformation we can welcome into our souls. And the more we are formed into the image of Christ, the more discerning we will become.
Don’t make the mistake of placing either transformation or discernment into the rarified air of the spiritually elite! The contemplative path is for all of us; we only have to want it… and then make space for it. God rushes to fill the hungry soul! So in simpler words, the heart of God is just that we will suspend our instinctive judgments long enough to ask and listen for the Spirit’s whisper.
What might that whisper say? It might be a drawing toward these last three “fruits” of the Spirit: “We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely” (Gal 5:22 msg).
Are you resolved to persevere in difficult relationships and circumstances with loyalty, hope, and hard work?
Are you resolved to relax your grip on goals and expectations so you can respond to the flow of Spirit and serendipity?
Are you resolved to apply your strength and agency toward the fruits of your spiritual discernment?
These descriptions are who we are becoming. Can you extend your desire and prayers toward those goals? Next week, we’ll look at some of the reasons we shy away from both the idea and the pursuit of incarnating God.
growing your soul
What most needs to be spiritually discerned in your life today? If you’d like some guidance in this discernment, try this exercise.
serving our world
Our personal transformation is not just for our own sake but for the sake of others. If you gain insight to your discernment question above, who else will benefit?
takeaway
Recognize & Respond.