Spiritual discernment demands constant reflection, openness and flexibility. But discerning God's leading is not always easy. Solitude can be a seedbed of creativity, providing a space in which to contemplate and express our longings, fears and joys. The capacity to be alone can be an invaluable resource, an opportunity to cultivate the arts of attentiveness and prayerful reflection that are a part of any search for insight and meaning. Discernment may involve meditation, prayer, reading, writing, walking, painting, Bible study or a combination of these exercises.
Spiritual discernment demands constant reflection, openness and flexibility.
It is crucial to remind ourselves that each individual will initiate and experience a process of discernment differently, in her or his own time, at her or his own pace. In short, we must be willing to wait. Often it is in the waiting we come to clarity or see light at the end of the dark tunnel or find the hope we had lost. While we wait we become vulnerable enough, anxious enough, to be more receptive to God's faithfulness and prompting. I learned a lot about waiting in the former Yugoslavia.