Discernment and the Gift of Surprise
“Learn from Jesus Christ to walk in the presence of God and to be nourished with the bread of his divine will” (St. Marie Rivier).
Managing a business is never easy. As a writer and editor, I find myself in a strange space where in order to do what I love (write and edit), I need to learn and use marketing, graphic design, website design, and social media skills. (I’m still learning and still haven’t made an Instagram reel!)
The parts of my work I don’t love as much have always been a source of struggle for me in my discernment process: Do I continue pursuing this goal, even though some of it feels too challenging? Should I pivot to another opportunity, where these difficulties might not exist? These challenges also began to impact how well I was able to see and respond to God’s will. They started overshadowing the good and clouding my ability to see and discern well.
Discernment and Surprises
The Christian tradition upholds the value of discernment. The process of discernment involves making decisions based on aligning our will to God’s will. It has such an important role in God’s love and providence in our lives. By seeking clarity, we grow and discover God’s grace.
One way I have been able to pay attention to how God is working in my life is by reviewing the trajectory of my path. I’ve looked at pivotal moments—discouragements and consolations. But I’ve also started taking notice of the surprises, which are those unexpected gifts that fill a void that I might not have even realized existed. Like consolations, these gifts of surprise are true sources of joy and hold seeds of possibility.
I call them “surprises,” because they are unexpected gifts that embolden us to embark on a journey we couldn’t have imagined. Looking back, I see these surprises in relationships and friendships I’ve formed as well as a beautiful project that seemed to find me while I waited, trusted, and prayed. God works through our relationships, so they are an important place to see how God is working. When I seek God’s will with a childlike trust and faith, I have to be prepared to notice how God is using my work for something better than what I envisioned.
Sloth Blinds Us
It takes patience and practice to notice these gifts of surprise. One way we can become unable from seeing these gifts is through sloth. As St. Thomas Aquinas defines it in his “Summa Theologiae,” sloth is “sadness about one’s spiritual good” (1-2.84.4). Dorothy Sayers called sloth a “whole poisoning of the will which, beginning with indifference … extends to the deliberate refusal of joy.”
Sloth is pernicious in its way of ultimately driving us from seeing the meaning of our life and work and the truth of our identity as daughters of God. Through fear, discouragement, or chasing success, sloth also has a way of destroying our ability to see these surprises, gifts, and blessings.
Start Your Discernment
Here are three simple steps to begin incorporating discernment into your decision-making process:
Talk to others who are faith-filled. Through the wisdom of prudent and virtuous friends and family, God often offers us his wisdom.
Find time for solitude and prayer. Pray for a childlike trust in God. Tell God your hopes and fears. Learn more about St. Thérèse of Lisieux to help you practice her “little way” of trust and love.
Be patient, and look for the fruits of your discernment. After you’ve made a decision in your journey, reflect on what you have seen: Are your acts, words, works, and relationships good and flourishing?
When we learn to see them, surprises from God on our journey are gifts that always illuminate our purpose and give us a clear path forward in trust and love.
Jody C. Benson is a freelance writer and editor and an instructor in Thy Olive Tree’s Fiat Self-Publishing Academy. She is the author of Behold: A Reflection Journal Where Wonder, Creation, and Stewardship Meet. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and children. Learn more at jodycbenson.com and jodycbenson.substack.com.