Reflect: Notice any thoughts today that relate to the ego, such as How am I coming across? Do I look okay? Do they like me? Smile at your humanity as you assign the ego a lesser role in your decision-making process.
FEBRUARY 14 • Distinguishing among the Voices
It’s hard to distinguish the divine voice of discernment from the clamor of other compelling voices: “Mother and father expected me to . . . , the advice of my friends leads me to . . . , my doctor instructed me to . . . , the culture around me influences me to . . . , the preacher warned me about . . . , my counselor encourages me to. . . . ” Some of these external callings provide valid food for thought; some lead us to guilt, self-criticism, and anxiety.
Deep within each of us is a hidden place where the Holy Spirit communes with us. In our January reflections, we explored the necessity of visiting this inner soul space where we listen to the loving wisdom of the Holy One. In John 14:16-17, scripture tells us we are not alone in this cave of the heart: [The Father] will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth . . . , he abides with you, and he will be in you.
However, our own ego can block the door to discernment, shouting its own message, such as, “How can I get what I want?” If the projected action will polish our halo, we can be sure an ego investment is infusing the process. If we listen in an atmosphere of complete honesty and vulnerability, the Spirit will reveal the identity of this ego-dominated voice so we learn to recognize it. Though this ego-centeredness is a part of the human condition, it’s important that we can distinguish its interfering influence when that occurs. God’s voice leads to authentic behavior, fullness of life, love, compassion, and spiritual freedom.
Reflect: Get to know the voice of your ego with a sense of compassion for your humanness. Open your heart to God’s ongoing acceptance and forgiveness as you travel the path of self-knowledge.
FEBRUARY 15 • Through a Spiritual Lens
Discerning the Spirit’s movement in your life resembles donning a different pair of glasses as you consider where you are being led. For instance, you might be deciding whether or not to accept a particular job offer. One valid lens for discernment would include the following questions: Can I live on that salary? How does my family feel about moving to Cincinnati or Santa Fe? Do I possess the skills for this position?
The spiritual lens, however, would address such concerns as these: Do I feel invigorated when I consider doing this work? Is this job consistent with my highest values? Will this environment allow me and my family to grow into richer relationship? Will this vocation allow my heart to expand and my compassion for others to grow? Is there a feeling of peace and challenge when I imagine being in that position?
As mentioned before, seeing something that needs to be done is one thing; being called to do it is another. In order to sense a magnetic invitation to do something—whether it’s a paid job or a committee chairship or a volunteer activity—we must expand our ways of listening to the movement of the Spirit. We gather pertinent information; we notice the reactions of our body and emotions; we consider the opinions of those we love and trust. Then we bring all that assessment to the center of our souls in prayerful openness. We cannot allow money and prestige to overwhelm the voice of the Spirit.
Reflect: Mull over a decision—large or small—that you may be facing. Take some time to view it through the lens of the Spirit as you prayerfully consider all factors. Beware of an urgent feeling that you “ought” to do it.
FEBRUARY 16 • The Body Speaks
Part of distinguishing the voices that affect our discernment comes from honoring the guidance our bodies offer. The body, created by God, resembles a radar system that can detect divine nudges and invitations in profound ways.
The body constantly speaks to us, and part of the task of discernment comes in learning to hear and heed its messages. How does our body signal our stress levels: a tension headache, lower back pain, tight shoulders, queasy stomach, nervous fidgeting, a racing heartbeat? In my thirties, an intuitive physician helped me discover my own stress indicator. During a time of “burning the candle at both ends” and trying to do too much too fast, I developed a throbbing sore throat that sent me in search of antibiotics for what I assumed was a strep infection.
It wasn’t. Noting no inflammation or physical cause, the doctor explained the source of the pain as “esophageal spasms,” my body’s personal response to stress. “But it hurts!” I argued. He agreed that the spasms created pain, and he urged me to focus on the cause of the stress and act on it. “If you learn to recognize your own body’s stress signal—and honor it—it can make a difference in your entire life. Learn to take responsibility for it.”
My doctor’s wisdom came as a gift for me that day. From that moment to this, when that familiar aching in my throat gets my attention, I breathe deeply and relax. Then I summon the courage to face the stress and find ways to identify and address the actual cause of the condition. Your stress signals may be more subtle but still noticeable.
When the psalmist proclaimed that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps.139:14), he wasn’t kidding. The intricate web of connections among body, mind, and spirit form a reliable network for divine guidance—one that we ignore at our peril.
Reflect: How does your body speak to you in times of stress? Honor it as an avenue of guidance created by a loving God, and be thankful.
FEBRUARY 17 • The Brain Speaks
Medical science and spirituality are not enemies. Study after study unites the two disciplines or at least calls them into meaningful dialogue, inviting us to view the miraculous interactions of the body with awe and wonder. God created us in this interrelated way, so that our bodies, minds, and spirits provide vital information in the discernment process.
Research on the amazing aspects of the brain is coming out faster than we can digest the implications. A major finding focuses on the adaptability of the brain to changes in its environment (neuroplasticity), which indicates that we can play an active role in altering the brain by paying attention to what we “feed” it. Scans have revealed that prayer and worship engage particular neural pathways that affect the area of the brain that lodges empathy for others. We can enhance the neural structures that make us calmer and more compassionate, as well as improving memory and cognitive skills.
One of the findings reported in How God Changes Your Brain indicates that participation in fear-based religions that stress God’s anger and punitive nature can stimulate the part of the limbic brain that creates anxiety and dread. However, the authors suggest ways that help us collude and cooperate in positively affecting the brain:
• Faith: be hopeful and optimistic (affirming the unconditional love of God)
• Dialogue: communicate with others (especially your faith community)
• Aerobic exercise: use movement to improve cognition and reduce anxiety
• Meditate/Pray: still the body and mind
• Yawn: breathe in oxygen to affect relaxation and help in focusing1
Science can play an integral part in how we understand the intricacy of creation. Though science can never tell us who or what God is, many of its findings can plunge us further into the wonder of the Mystery that sustains us.
Reflect: Consider your own body as “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). In what ways can you honor the ongoing revelations offered by science?
FEBRUARY 18 • Resonance and Dissonance
In surprising ways, our bodies mirror the messages of the soul. Saints of old referred to this process as having feelings of “consolation” and “desolation,” which they regarded as reliable nudges from the “still small voice” of the Spirit. These days, we’re more likely to say, “That really rings true