Interior Freedom in Discernment

Interior Freedom: A Fourth Attitude Necessary for Discernment of God’s Will

 In order to discernment God’s will for me, I need to be interiorly free.  St. Ignatius describes three types of persons  and their differing approaches to decision-making, each of which reveals the degree to which he/she is interiorly free.

•         The talk-and-no-action person, the well-intentioned person whose intentions never materialize.  These persons want to do God’s will but never get around to doing so.  They are too distracted, too busy accomplishing what they want to do and do not take time for the one thing necessary, bringing one’s will into harmony with the will of God.

•          The person who does all kinds of things, is busy accomplishing good but not tuning into the one thing necessary, doing what God wants of him/her.  These individuals put conditions on what God wants of them. “I will do God’s will if….” They will do what God wants as long as it is not a total commitment and as long as they do not need to adjust their priorities.   It’s “my will first,” and then “I will decide whether to follow what God is directing me to do with my life.”

·         The third type of person gives everything. Their deepest desire is to be doing what God is calling them to do no matter what the cost.  They attach no conditions to doing God’s will.      Only by being disposed in this way is a person authentically free  to find and follow God’s desires.

 

Source:  David Fleming, SJ, Draw Me into Your Friendship: The Spiritual Exercises, A Literal Translation and a Contemporary Reading