Last week, I wrote about the process of seeing God’s presence in our daily lives and discerning God’s Will for us as well. As a continuation of our conversation on discernment, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a great process for making bigger decisions. For many of us, decision making isn’t all that difficult. For others, it can be fraught with worry and self-doubt. It doesn’t matter what kind of “decider” you are, each of us can benefit from having a process to use. A process adds structure and surety, which assures a greater level of assurance that your decision is the best that could be made, regardless of the circumstances or outcome.
Here is the process in a nutshell:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. Taking our concerns to prayer is always a good idea. Remember if we have a thought that occurs to us, and it is aligned purely with love for others, or truth, you can count on that being the Spirit who is inspiring that thought.
2. Think about God’s law and the teachings of the Church. If your choice is contrary to the teachings of Jesus, how good could it be?
3. Think about what will happen as a result of your choice. Ask yourself, will the consequences be pleasing to God? Will my choice hurt someone else?
4. Seek advice from someone you respect and remember that Jesus is with you. If the decision is related to healthcare, ask doctors or other healthcare providers. If it is financial, ask a financial planner. Remember, it is always good when we bring our faith into our daily lives, and when our daily lives are infused with attitudes and values that are drawn from our faith.
5. Ask yourself how your choice will affect your relationships with God and others. To state the obvious, love is always the answer.
As the folks from Loyola Press have shared, “Making moral choices takes into consideration the object of the choice, our intention in making the choice, and the circumstances in which the choice is made. It is never right to make an evil choice in the hope of gaining something good.”
Hopefully this process will come to mind the next time you have a big choice to make!