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Denise Pyles, M.Div. is the moderator of Weekly Spiritual Reflections and is a Christian pastoral minister with over 25 years experience specializing in preaching, leading worship services and directing music. She is a former nun and is also a musician and composer of three recordings of original music. Currently, she is an ordained minister, a licensed wedding official, and website moderator. Her vision of ministry is to respect all religious faith traditions with a welcoming spirit of hospitality. Weekly Spiritual Reflections, an online membership service uniquely designed to deepen your spirituality and enhance your prayer life, to awaken your spirit to the presence of God around us and within. This is an exciting new opportunity to foster spirituality through online sermons, spiritual reflections, blogs, forums and various other resources within a respectful environment and inclusive web community. Check out www.WeeklySpiritualReflections.com
Date / Time: 10/7/2008 6:02 PM UTC
Yesterday I did a radio show on Blog Talk Radio and the topic was “Discernment and the Prayerful Art of Making Decisions.” I talked about discernment as a spiritual tool and as a way of letting God in on our decision-making process. Discernment is used in the big decisions of our lives - decisions about relationships, marriage, when to start a family, choosing a college, choosing a job, or deciding on how you want to live your life at 21, 30, 41, 50, retirement or whatever age you choose, etc. The big decisions.
I find one of the steps of the decision-making process to be most helpful. Say for example, you are deciding between two jobs. As part of the discernment process, in your heart and mind, imagine making a decision and choosing one of the job offers. Walk with that decision in your heart for a couple of days. Pay attention to how you feel with that decision. Are you at peace? Can you sleep well at night? A few days later, imagine in your heart and mind of choosing the other job offer. Mentally live with that decision. Try it on in your being. Again, pay attention to how you feel. Can you sleep well at night? Are you at peace with this decision?
In both scenarios, ask yourself if this decision is congruent with your most authentic self. The goal of discernment in the decision-making process is to experience the fruits or gifts of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
From my own experience, I would add sleep as a gift of the Spirit. If I can sleep well at night with my decisions then that is an indicator that I am moving in the direction of the Spirit, because anxiety, stress, worry and fear (those feelings that keep me up at night and give me unrest) are not fruits of the Holy Spirit.
As you face major decisions in your life, may you be guided by the Spirit of God, and may you dwell in the gifts of love, kindness, peace, patience, joy, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and generosity.
Blessings this day!
Check out the radio program at: www.blogtalkradio.com/SpiritReflections
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