Sowing Seeds

Discernment: 1 : the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure : skill in discerning 2 : an act of discerning
synonyms discernment, discrimination, perception, penetration, insight, acumen

Discernment is a term used in Christian tradition to describe the process of discerning God's will for one's life.

This is something that I am always seeking. And as I walk my path, God has been gracious by granting it to me. I am not saying that I have it down pat. I don't. But I have come a LONG way, and continue to do so. The toughest thing is dealing with others that don't like or don't agree with how discernment "fleshes out" in my life. But the truth is very cut and dried; I do not live my life to please others. I live my life to please God. I cannot put anyone else's ideals or "feelings" above His. (That is key in being able to be a discerning person.) And the more I know God, the closer I get to Him, the easier it is to discern His will in my life. So simple and so obvious. The better you know someone/anyone, the better you know what they think, believe, and want. It works that way with God too.

Because of discernment, there are some things I simply will not do. There are certain places I will not go. There are influences/influencers that I do not allow into my life. There are hard and fast boundaries that I have created that I will not cross. There are even people I will not co-mingle my life with. With all of these things in place you'd think my life would be very restricted, but in fact, I am more free today than I ever have been because I am not bound by others and by situations. Perhaps you are one of those people who might say, "So you are saying that there are people you avoid? Jesus hung out with ALL kinds of people. Good ones, bad ones, evil ones etc..." Yes, He did. And thank God He did. And yes, He is our role model. We should do all of those things with discernment and boundaries. I have had ALL kinds of people in my life and have invested time, care, concern, God's love, and even sometimes cold hard biblical truth. I have scattered many seeds. But sometimes we can pour all we have into nursing that one seed and becoming so engrossed in trying to MAKE it grow that we miss another opportunity to plant a seed. And what if that first one fell on nutrient-depleted, hard, dry ground? We can spin our wheels forever trying to make that situation work, but if the ground is not receptive and ready for the seed, it will not grow. In fact, the birds probably ate it the moment it hit the ground. God has granted me what I have prayed for for so long. Discernment and STRENGTH to leave those seeds in His capable hands and move forward. Even if those people/seeds don't understand. I still care about those people. I still pray for them. I still believe that God can and will do amazing things in their lives, but I can no longer be a part of that process. BECAUSE, I am susceptible. I am compassionate. I am tender-hearted. I can get too close. And I can be pulled under with them. I know this about me. God revealed it to me. It has happened on more than one occasion in my life. I will not allow that again. I am the sower of the seeds. Sometimes that is all I can be.

So the gift of discernment is a treasured thing. Learning now to not lose sleep over people who don't like the way it is used, and the way it fleshes out is critical. Those folks---the people who cut you down. The people who don't understand. They people who rage and those that gossip. The people who sneer and judge and talk behind your back. They are there. You probably know some of them by name. I do. And I am ok with that. You see, I used to spend way too much time worrying about all of that. The great thing is...I don't anymore. I rest peacefully in the arms of my God because I know He leads me. I know He helps me set those boundaries. He helps me to know when a seed fell on fertile soil or not. He helps me know when to push through and keep going working that seed, and when to get up and move forward, leaving things in His capable hands. That brings a deep peace and amazing freedom.

Discernment. Pray for it daily. Use it wisely. KNOW Him and it will be easier and easier to use.

Mark 4 (New Living Translation)
1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”