Discernment

“True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.” Sinclair B. Ferguson

Discernment is important for proper decision making and especially when we get to crossroads. You need to make a choice at that point. Do you go right, do you go left or do you stand and wait a while at the same spot before taking another step? This decision depends on the prevailing circumstances, the resources at your disposal and the goals you are aspiring to achieve. There is a famous poem by Robert Frost that a mentor of mine had shared with me some years back. It paints this picture of making a decision in a cross road so well:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 
I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 Discernment is also crucial when making decisions about the priorities in our lives. It could be the priorities for the day, for the week, for the month, for the year and for your entire life. What are the most important things for you to accomplish? This is a decision that is as personal as it can be. If we prioritize the less important things, in the long run, the outcome of our lives will be quite different from what it could have been. 

For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should utilize discernment in our decision making. It will aid us in making the appropriate decisions in the various circumstances we find ourselves in as we journey through life and while we strive to achieve the meaningful goals that we are pursuing.

Discernment is crucial when we have to ascertain the correct idea to go with or the correct action to take between two or more compelling ones. As a parting shot, consider what Charles Spurgeon said “discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

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