Best Discernment Advice You've Received

[Lisa]

What is the best advice you've received? Who did it come from? How are you living it out?

[Aya Sophia]

Mega question . . . hard to say what piece of advice has been "best" but major and central has been (and continues to be) learning Ignatian-style discernment of spirits which means the ability to discern the source of my inner impulses - whether a good spirit (God, His angels, etc.), an evil spirit or self - and the appropriate or best response to them.

[Aya Sophia]

p.s. not restricted to vocation discernment but also: never refrain from acting simply out of fear (let it not be fear alone that keeps you from acting) - don't remember who if anyone told me this - just remember starting to embrace this, choosing in a certain circumstance to risk "dying on the way" rather than staying home out of fear, because I was assured of being safe.

[Nunsense]

My first spiritual director changed my life when he told me that in order to succeed at religious life, I needed to develop a 'close, personal relationship with Jesus', in order words, he said, to 'fall in love with Jesus'.

I didn't know how to do what he said so while driving home from our meeting, I pulled over and sat in the car and prayed to Jesus, 'Jesus, Father Paul said I had to fall in love with you, but I don't know how. Will you do it for me, please?'

He did. That was the first time I ever experienced His presence, up close and personal (but definitely not the last). My life hasn't been the same since.

[MissyP89]

My confessor told me I needed to be single by the end of the day.

Of course, there's alot more to that, but he did help me to realize head-on that I wasn't making the right decisions. I was in a relationship that would have led to an invalid marriage had I stayed involved...needless to say I'm very glad he confronted me about that.

I did find someone else after a few years and am extremely happy now. The lessons I learned from my past relationship, good and bad, are enriching my current one. If Father hadn't given me the tough love I needed at that time, I wouldn't be where I am today.

[BG45]

Edit: n/m. Always good to learn stuff and know folks are happy.

Edited October 11, 2011 by BG45

[OnlySunshine]

I think the best discernment advice I heard was from posters on here, actually. It was about slowing down and taking time away to discern so that I could form a strong prayer life with God. I kept telling people I had that already, but I truly didn't and I was so thankful for the 7 months I took away from looking up communities so that I could focus on my ministries in the Church as an EMHC and attending Mass more often. I don't regret it for one minute.

I also think that my former spiritual director told me something very valuable when I came home from my very short live-in with the Carmelite DCJ Sisters. He told me to stop relying on signs. I used to pray for signs all the time and would be so confused and I'd think I'd see one when I actually did not, but I wanted to so bad! I thought of something that I told my CRHP sisters tonight and that was that I prayed a novena to St. Therese and asked her for a rose during my vocation retreat with the Carmelites in Feb. 2009. I thought that the plastic roses at the base of the statue of St. Therese was the sign I was looking for. I was deluded. I really needed to grow up and stop being immature. My discernment has definitely matured over the years. I DO NOT pray for signs, but yet, I am still given signals at random by the Holy Spirit. One that keeps manifesting lately is the word "mercy." I don't want to read too much into it, but it's so strange! It really is incredible how many times that word has appeared in the last month.

[she_who_is_not]

"Pray and don't worry." Padre Pio

I struggle with both, but God has given so many graces to this sinner that I'm absolutely confident that he'll steer me through this.

[InPersonaChriste]

Not worrying, and just being.

Living in the present moment.. Definitely the hardest and the truest advice I have ever recieved.

[Lisa]

Some of the best advice I've received is to just keep trying. Even if it seems like my prayer life isn't going anywhere, I can still "put in the time" so to speak.

[FutureSister2009]

Spend alot of time in Adoration and prayer. And remember to leave it all in God's hands. He knows your future and it will all work out in His time, not yours

[LaPetiteSoeur]

RELAX: God's in Charge.

We had this sign in the choir loft of my home church. It was a wonderful reminder to us--especially as Christmas approached and we still hadn't gotten through our music. I appreciated it even more when I started to cantor.

And now, in discernment, it's a wonderful, wonderful phrase to remember!

[TeresaBenedicta]

Focus on your prayer life, on growing closer and closer to Jesus. If you do this, everything else will fall into place.

[TheresaThoma]

Not sure who told me this but "God will never ask the impossible of you". It reminds me that even if I can't figure out how it will work out as long as I am following God's will I don't have to worry about it.

[Blessed&Grateful]

I think the "Fall in love with Jesus" is so true. When you deeply love someone all you want is for that person to be happy. So if your true love is Jesus, well it all just falls into place. Even as a single person I find this to be very meaningful. I fall in love with Jesus more and more and more.

[Little Flower]

Does this count as advice? I was talking with a sister in an active order (about her order, not just having a random chat lol) and i mentioned that i liked how they werent cloistered, and I had never heard of non cloistered carmelites (she was a Carmelite DCJ) and she asked me if I was scared of the cloister. i dismissed it at the time but i thought about it later, and ive become convinced i have a contemplative vocation. i had never considered the cloister as an option for me. you know, "I could never do that. therefore i am not called to that" but i never actually said that. it was more my subconscious thought i guess if that makes sense. i would say that is the single most influential thing anyone has said to me in my discernment.

[BG45]

Don't worry, don't give up hope.

[beatitude]

Vocation is not something that happens in the future, it's what you're doing now. Don't waste your time wishing for something that hasn't arrived yet (convent, marriage, whatever). Just get on with what you've been given. Love it.

[dominicansoul]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1318524640' post='2320677']
Vocation is not something that happens in the future, it's what you're doing now. Don't waste your time wishing for something that hasn't arrived yet (convent, marriage, whatever). Just get on with what you've been given. Love it.
[/quote]


This goes with what one of my good friends, my superior, told me after I left the convent twice and was still discerning whether or not to return. She said, "Stop discerning religious life. Get on with your life, hon, God has plans for you and they are wonderful!" Sometimes I get lost in my self... and I stop listening cos I want what i want, and not so much what God wants. This advice came to me and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It made me so unhappy at the time, but now I couldn't be more happier that I took her advice. And God delivers. My life is more peaceful now. He knows what is best for me, I do not know what is best for myself. I rely totally on Him.

[brandelynmarie]

[quote name='dominicansoul' timestamp='1318758865' post='2322007']
And God delivers. My life is more peaceful now. He knows what is best for me, I do not know what is best for myself. I rely totally on Him.
[/quote]


Amen ds! Amen! (I'm out of props...again )