Harrison Owen, a writer and wise leader, suggests there are four ways of being that support healthy relationships. I believe these four ways also speak to our relationship with discernment. 

They are: 

1. to show up and be present
2. to pay attention to what has heart and meaning
3. to tell the truth without blame or judgment and 
4. to be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.

We show up to opportunities for quiet and prayer, take the time to journal our thoughts and feelings about what we feel called to consider. We might also meet with a spiritual director to help with our discernment process. 

We pay attention to what God may be calling us to do with our lives, what matters to us, what we are passionate about giving of our time and energy. Is there a particular group of people that touch our hearts with their longing for healing or service of some kind? When we consider spending our lives in a meaningful way, how does our spirit feel? What draws us?

We are honest with ourselves about our skills, our desires, our opportunities, and longings. We look at our willingness to risk giving ourselves wholeheartedly wherever God calls. In the process we consider both the positive and negative aspects of our choices. 

We open ourselves to the result of our discernment, even if the result is different than we were at first thinking it would be. Because the Spirit leads us throughout the process of discerning our call, its outcome may surprise us.

May your relationship with these ways of being be rich and rewarding for you,
Sister Tarianne

Click here for support in your discernment.

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Una Relación con el Discernimiento

Harrison Owen, un escritor y líder sabio, sugiere que hay cuatro formas de ser que apoyan las relaciones saludables. Creo que estas cuatro formas también hablan de nuestra relación con el discernimiento.

Ellos son: 

1. presentarse y estar presentes
2. prestar atención a lo que tiene corazón y significado
3. decir la verdad sin culpar ni juzgar y 
4. estar abierto al resultado, no atarlo al resultado.

Nos presentamos a oportunidades de silencio y oración, tomamos el tiempo para escribir nuestros pensamientos y sentimientos acerca de lo que nos sentimos llamados a considerar. También podríamos reunirnos con un director espiritual para ayudarnos con nuestro proceso de discernimiento.

Prestamos atención a lo que Dios nos está llamando a hacer con nuestras vidas, lo que nos importa, lo que nos apasiona dar de nuestro tiempo y energía. ¿Hay un grupo de personas en particular que conmueven nuestros corazones con su anhelo de curación o servicio de algún tipo? Cuando consideramos pasar nuestras vidas de manera significativa, ¿cómo se siente nuestro espíritu, qué nos atrae?

Somos honestas con nosotras mismas acerca de nuestras habilidades, nuestros deseos, nuestras oportunidades y anhelos. Vemos nuestra disposición a arriesgarnos a darnos de todo corazón a dondequiera que Dios llame. En el proceso consideramos los aspectos positivos y negativos de nuestras elecciones.

Nos abrimos al resultado de nuestro discernimiento, aun si el resultado es diferente de lo que pensábamos al principio. Debido a que el Espíritu nos guía a lo largo del proceso de discernir nuestro llamado, su resultado puede sorprendernos.

Que tu relación con estas formas de ser te enriquezca y recompense,
Hermana Tarianne

Haga clic aquí para ayudar en su discernmiento.

If you are going to make it through the birth canal, baby girl, you need to change your direction. I hate to tell you this, but you are going the wrong way! Your twin sister has already left the womb. She was positioned headfirst and made it out with no problems. Since you are positioned feet first, you have a more complicated assignment. Don’t panic! I made you resilient and adaptable. Help is on the way. A female doctor with small hands is reaching in as we speak. Her gentle touch is encouraging you to make a somersault and head out in the right direction. Ah! There you go! You did it! Welcome to the world!

As you may have guessed, I was a breech birth — born one hour after my twin sister. Back in the 1950s, breech births were a threat to the life of both the baby and the mother. So, first of all, I feel blessed to be alive. The story of my birth, however, speaks an urgent message: new life demands necessary change! Hard fought effort on our part is required. God takes the lead and shows us the way. 

Here is where discernment steps in. We need to decide when change is a good thing. Change for change’s sake, chasing every new experience for the excitement and pleasure of novelty, or running away from healthy commitments do not equal healthy, life-giving change in our lives. If God is calling us to make a change for the better, it is usually because we are beginning to experience a failure to thrive in some important area of our lives. Like me in the womb; I had to make a change in order to experience new life.

Are you heeding the call to healthy change in your life? Do you believe you can make the necessary changes with the help of God and others? 

Blessings,
Sister Sara