(Above, a new Alpaca carpet for Maria’s Studio)
Discernment is the ability to obtain moral or spiritual perceptions; it involves going past the common understanding of something and making nuanced judgement about its values or qualities. It can be a religious or psychological idea. For me, it is the ability to be thoughtful, to distinguish right from wrong, and to be authentic. To never lie to myself, one of the greatest sins.
Practice Creativity: “The most regretful people…are those..who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”
Creativity is not only about making art or writing books. It is the ability to live a meaningful life, bounded by thoughtfulness, empathy and compassion.
Walk In The Woods With A Lover, Or Friend, Or Dog: Find a trail, talk to a tree you love. Instead of a conversation or the latest news, withhold your words and keep silent. Drink deeply from the well of creation.
Love Solitude. Sit in the silence for an hour every day. Report back to me, good reader, on the wondrous thing that is your mind.
Paint a picture, take a picture: See the world anew.
Do Good. Commit A Small Act Of Kindness. Do Practical Good, Every Day In The Real World.
Stand In The Shoes Of Another: See the world with his or her eyes, and grow and grow.
Above All, Don’t Lie To Yourself: “Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov.
Listen to heaven and nature sing: Start by reading Isaiah 55:12 out loud:
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Can you discern the singing of the trees?”
Live Among The Animals. They are our partners on the earth, they are the prophets of acceptance.
Turn Away From Anger: It is the enemy of discernment.
Thank you. A moment in my life I need these reminders.
Powerful and insightful
Jon, I loved this post so much that I printed it to be able to put it with my daily reading. Funny, I was writing in my journal this morning, and asking God for just this – discernment. Ask and receive! Thanks Jon!
Thanks, Jon.
Thanks, Jon. Forwarded this to my creative group.
Jon, this is a great list. I am looking forward to part two. I have discovered all that you have listed to be helpful in my own journey. The one I would add is laughter. Daily experiencing something that creates the laughter response. I think of “levity” as the root of “levitate”. Laughter lifts us up.
Good addition, Chuck, I’ll put it on list two
I love every word of this. Thank you.
Love this! I wrote all of my novels during the one hour each day that I sat in the field with my goats. It’s amazing the ideas that come to mind when you are alone in nature.