They always say, “go with your gut.” As a little kid, my parents tried to teach me what that meant. In the church, they also tried to tell me how to discern God’s voice by really emphasizing moral code and integrity from the Good Book. As I grew I learned to blend the two and eventually referred to this as my intuition. While I do think God’s voice can be solo and distinct at times (as well as desires of the flesh), I do think there is a synergy between it all.
Most times we know right from wrong. We have also learned much throughout our life and can decipher what is good for us and what is not. But what happens when emotions, fears, and worries of the mind take over? It clouds our decisions and if you’re like me you could convince yourself either situation is “right”. I also realize there are times where you have to make an immediate decision at the moment. During those times have faith in yourself that you will make the best decision you can at the time.
But in regards to most decisions and fork in the road moments of life, I learned something years ago that I now also teach my kids. No matter if you are happy, sad, anxious, worried, depressed, or joyful, your “gut” will always have the same answer. It is when we base decisions off of ever-changing emotions that we doubt and confusion seeps our bones. Emotions are extremely important to our lives and foster the ability to hear our souls. Emotions bring us awareness, warning signs, and guideposts all at the same time.
However, your “gut” (or intuition, or God’s whisper) will not waiver during the wave. It will be a steady answer even if it isn’t what you want. It will be consistent day to day while the wave of feelings goes through its journey. If I know that job A is the one for me or that God wants me to take (and of course it doesn’t violate anything He preaches against), I will feel it even if I want the other one, or when I am happy or depressed, etc. Sometimes we think we are basing our decisions off of our gut, but it is really off of our emotions. If your mind and choice is constantly changing, then it is not intuition based or you simply do not have enough information yet. The feeling may not come right away, but it will be there, and it will be steady.
And the sooner you learn to hear the steady notion behind the differing emotions, the sooner you will be able to discern God’s voice in your life and which path to take. Practice this often daily and you will get better at it in the mundane moments of life so that when it becomes a serious life-changing decision, you’ll know exactly what God is trying to tell you.
So…
Take some time to meditate on a decision. Calm your mind, body, and spirit by taking a few deep breaths. Take note of something you hear, see, taste, smell, and feel. This simple technique will help center you and bring you into the present. You have likely weighed the pros and cons, but you will need to get out of your head for a bit if you want to hear God.
Visualize both paths you could take. Play it all out in your meditation.Which feels lighter and freer? Which is heavier and confining?
What does each path symbolize to you? Is this significant to the growth you think God has for you? Do neither feel right and is there another way?
Also, take note throughout a few days as you are experiencing different emotions and audit how you are feeling about the decision. It is easy for fear and worries to dominate the mind thus making us choose the “safer” option. That is the mind’s job, but is it the call of God? That is for you to discern. :)
Closing question for further reflection: What does God’s voice sound like to you or what does it feel like in your body when you ‘just know’ and how will you let it lead your life?
Read Letters to You: On Helping. Sometimes if you think of your child or friend in the same situation coming from a helping perspective, you will advise them in a certain way. Often times it is the same advice we need to heed.
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