Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life

by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Instead of seeking a life free from pain and suffering, we should trust that Jesus is present in our pain and suffering.

To want to know God’s plan and purpose without regular prayer and engagement with scripture and God’s people is like trying to bake a cake without assembling the various ingredients. Discernment grows out of the life of faith rooted in community.

“When we abandon ourselves to God in prayer, then each moment becomes a sacrament of joy, gratitude, and loving acceptance of the will of God manifest in that moment.”