Discernment

To me, discernment is like buying a house. When you know it is time to buy a house for yourself, you start to research. There is lots of research to do. You must determine what you need in a house, what you want in a house, and what would be the ultimate to have in a house. You must look at schools and neighborhoods. You must determine what you can afford. Then, you ask someone to help you. Finally, you start looking at houses.At each house, you try to determine, "Is this what we want?" or "Is this what we need?" You ask, "Could we make this house work?"
Then one day, you walk into a house and you know it is yours. You see your furniture in this house. You know where your piano will go, and which room belongs to each of your children. You know which wall you want your bed against, and what color you are going to paint the family room. This is your house, and knowing that this is your house brings you a sense of peace and joy.
Now, this house is going to become your home. And rooted in that sense of peace and joy is the knowledge that in this house you will raise your children, you will open Christmas presents and celebrate birthdays. You will cuddle together watching movies. If you think about it, you also know that in this house you will fight with your spouse, and ground your children, and one day you will get a phone call that you never hoped to get. But because this house gives you that sense of peace and joy, you know that this is still your house. There will be good times and bad times in this house, but it will continue to be rooted in your sense of joy.
Someday, if living in this house no longer gives you that sense of peace and joy, then you know it will be time to look for a new house.
So for me, discernment is like this process of buying a house. There is research to do, and others must be called on to help in the process. In discernment, one is often choosing between two good choices. But in discernment, one choice should bring about that sense of peace and joy that the best choice has been made at this time, under these conditions.

And yes, I still believe in the forever house. And I want my forever house, with a yellow wall........