Virtual Discernment Retreat |
|||||
|
One of the greatest obstacles to certainty about your call is to keep going around and around in circles in your head.
After you have spent some time gathering information and monitoring the messages your feelings have been giving you, I encourage you to use a "pros and cons" list to lead you to greater clarity. It may sound trivial, but this list is actually a very important last step in this stage of discernment. One of the greatest obstacles to certainty about your call is to keep going around and around in circles in your head. Spending time listing pros and cons can help you avoid that pitfall. This process puts the facts in front of you in black and white. Tips on pros and cons First, write a simple declarative sentence on which to base the pros and cons, e.g., "I will become a ____ (fill in the name of the specific community you're thinking of) sister." Underneath your sentence make two columns, labeling one "pros" and the other "cons." In one sitting, look at either the pros or cons. That is, begin by brainstorming and writing all the reasons you can think of why this choice would be good for you. List the silly reasons as well as the serious and important ones. This helps you not to get stumped. Then put this list away. Follow the same process with the "cons," just listing a free flow of reasons, silly as well as serious, why this choice is not good for you. Be as honest and thorough as you can with each list. Then put the lists away for a few days. You may find that during these days other ideas will come to you, and you can add them to your lists. Then go back and read your pros and cons over again reflectively. What do you notice? Do you see any patterns? Do you feel yourself drawn more to one choice than the other? Do the reasons for one choice seem more in line with your desires and values? Continue to ask God to lead you, and continue to notice the movements of your heart. God is in them. After having noticed where you seem drawn, again put the list aside and ask God to confirm your choice in some way. As you get even more clarity it is time to take a crucial step. Move into action. If you don't, you're likely to get mired down in "Should I? Could I? What if?" Don't let yourself go that way. You can trust the wisdom you've come to so far, and you need to take action on that conviction.
|
Discernment
