“Life is full of tough decisions, and nothing makes them easy. . . . Try, trust, try, and trust again, and eventually you’ll feel your mind change its focus to a new level of understanding.”
—Martha Beck
I was educated and deeply shaped by the Catholic sisters and the Jesuits. Pope Francis is one of the individuals I admire most in the world, not just because he is a Jesuit, but because of the way he walks his talk, lives his life, speaks his mind, and embraces change.
When faced with difficult decisions or life-altering change, the Jesuits have a process to help guide them to the answer. Devised by Saint Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, it’s called the Process of Discernment. It walks you through a step-by-step procedure that helps you come to the decision that’s right for you.
The truth is, some of us are better than others at making good decisions. Some of us make snap decisions. Some labor forever, weighing the pros and cons into the ground. Some take too many other people’s opinions and feelings into account (that would be me). But there are some who just know how to discern, deliberate, and decide.
I talk about the Process of Discernment today because making big decisions is tough for everyone, and so many people I’ve spoken to tell me they’re struggling with it right now. So, I thought, why not take a page from the Jesuits and follow their age-old, tried-and-true formula? I’ve used it myself for decision making in the past, and recently, I’ve been using it again to make some new decisions.
So the next time you’re unclear about a decision, Google the Jesuits’ Process of Discernment and try it out. It may help you find clarity and peace. I’ve found the process illuminating and helpful when some turbulence in my life provokes a crisis of indecision. The process includes steps like these:
Discern. Decide. Be at peace with your decision, and allow others to do and be the same.
Dear God, I struggle with making decisions. I worry that I will make the wrong ones, so I get paralyzed and make no decisions at all. Please help me change this. Please help me take the action of making my decision and leaving the results to you. I know that no matter what happens, you will help me. Amen.