Discernment - February 11

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; Gen. 27:1-29; Rom. 12:1-8; John 8:12-20

Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” In John’s Gospel, that promise is not about instant clarity. It is about learning how to walk when the path ahead is still uncertain.

I got caught off guard a week ago or so.  I’ve been nursing a stubborn foot injury from walking the Camino. I probably waited too long to go to the doctor and had an MRI at Andrews Sports Medicine a few weeks ago. The results were inconclusive—something is causing swelling. No clean diagnosis. No clear timeline. I’m wearing a boot, but I am finding it difficult to stay off my foot.  It’s frustrating and I don’t like slowing down.

One morning, walking into church, Louise Meredith stopped me and asked a simple question: “Have you prayed for it? Or invited others to pray with you?”

That question caught me off guard.  I certainly believe God gives us the good sense to seek doctors, tests, and treatment. But Louise’s question gently exposed how easily I rely on expertise while leaving prayer on the margins, or for others.  Prayer certainly slows me down, helps me to be more grounded and thoughtful, and that could be more helpful than I realize.

In John 8, the religious leaders demand certainty and proof. Jesus responds by pointing to relationship—his communion with the Father, his trust in God’s timing, his confidence that the light is already present even when others cannot see it. Discernment, in this passage, is not about controlling outcomes. It is about choosing how we walk while we wait.

What’s the role that prayer plays in your life? Isn’t all that we do some form of discernment, in need of the guidance of the Holy Spirit?  And I’ll take your quiet prayers on my foot, and you will know it’s better when I’ve kicked the boot.

John+

Question for Self-Reflection:Where in your life are you making responsible decisions, but not yet inviting prayer or community into the discernment—and what might change if you did?