Discernment

This blog will be a bit of a departure from my normal posts. Those who are close to me know how much the Companions in Christ study impacted my life. I now have the joy to be involved in another of their studies: The Way of Discernment. The staff at Hendersonville FUMC is doing the study weekly before our staff meetings (the staff meetings are bi-weekly though).

One of our group exercises today was a real blessing to me, so I thought I would share it. As a nation, we are facing some tough decisions in the coming days, and I think we could all use a little discernment! I did not use the election as the focus when I did it earlier today, but I think it would work with any decision!

We have been studying discernment for a few weeks now. This week's lesson was called the "Fruits as Touchstones." Touchstones were described as markers that guide us along the trail of life (traditionally they were piles of rocks that marked trails). They point us in the right directions. This week we were encouraged to use the Fruits of the Spirit as touchstones for our lives.

In the excercise we did in our group lesson, we were asked to identify a decision we had coming up or an issue we were struggling with. We were then asked to identify possible paths forward we could take in that decision (2-4) and make a column for each on a piece of paper.

Next we read Galatians 5:16-26. I don't know how many times I've read this passage, but I don't know that I had ever juxtaposed the "bad fruits" mentioned in verses 19-21 to the "good fruits" in verses 22-23. We were then asked to think about the following questions:

"Which of these 'works of the flesh' are actual temptations in your life that could (or did) impact your choice of the path forward?

Which fruits of the Spirit are strongest in your life, and how might (or did) these influence your decision about a possible path forward?

How might each choice of path help or hinder cultivation of spiritual fruits you seek to grow in? Write your responses in each column.

What other fruits do you envision coming from each choice? Under the columns, write or draw a symbol of what you might anticipate."

Take a few minutes to pray about it. Ask God for guidance.

It was a bit surprising to me to see what some of my possible choices were motivated by. I hope this will help you as it helped me today. Blessings on you, your house, and on this nation of ours.