This way or that?

"Discerning of God's will is concerned with recognizing and making choices congruent with who we are in God."
Rose Mary Dougherty, "Discernment--A Path to Spiritual Awakening"

I'm in a discernment place right now, so I picked up this little book from our Spiritual Direction program and re-read the yellow paragraphs (there were many!) One would think that making choices for our lives based on who we are in God would make the decisions easier...but they may not be. When people of God are trying to decide things we tend to think of a right answer or a wrong one. One is God's will, the other isn't. But God isn't really that way, I don't think. God puts a deep desire into our hearts and we tune into that desire. "I want to do that," we say and then try to make the pieces fit. There may not be an wrong way with God, though, for people who are actively trying to choose God's will. Chances are, our choices are two good ones--both life-giving and productive. Both could yield positive fruit for God. So, when the waters are that murky, which to choose? That's when we go with our guts. We go with the one that gives us joy when it crosses our minds.  It may not seem to be the most secure or the pieces may not be clearly an easy fit, but the deep down joy may give us our answer. The point is, God will always be with us, guide us, help us do whatever we do, regardless of what we choose. There may not be just one Godly choice and God will gift us to do whatever we choose. Blessings to all veterans, blessings to all who struggle this day, blessings to all who delight in God! Love, heidi

A recipe for today...

"Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer...Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Romans 12:11-12, 15

There have been way too many opportunities to weep with those who weep lately. It seems like our times right now are more perilous than ever in recent memory and it hurts our hearts, doesn't it? St. Paul seems to know exactly what we are going through and gives us our marching orders. As followers of Jesus we must accompany those who suffer and suffer with them. Elsewhere in this reading he tells us to be sincere in our love, merciful, generous in giving. We must be hospitable and even bless those who persecute us.  It's a formula for what is happening in our world right now and St. Paul is speaking to first century people in Rome. People have suffered always. People will suffer always. We, as Jesus' hands and feet on this planet, must suffer and weep with them--in New York, Las Vegas, Texas, wherever people are suffering. And we know that God is suffering with us all, as well. Today, beyond praying for those who mourn, let's reach out to others. People all around us are hurting in some way or another. They may not even be showing their pain, but if we reach out and are especially kind to all we encounter today, we may help someone who carries pain we may not see. And, above all, we must not lose hope. A tiny flicker of hope can go a long way to helping others endure. Love, heidi