Jodie MacCartney is a Mission Mobiliser at Baptist Mission Australia . She ’ s an experienced intercultural mission practitioner and loves journeying with people as they discern their unique calling in
God ’ s mission .
Keen to explore what ’ s next ? Contact Jodie or Chris to find out more about tailored mission coaching and discernment retreats . There is a team at Baptist Mission Australia ready to reflect and journey with you .
www , baptist missionaustralia / Contact
What ’ s next ?
Some years ago , my husband Chris and I were invited to join a Christian community that lived and worked among the poor in Bangkok . We were full of fervour and passion , and ready to follow Jesus wherever He wanted us to go , but I recall feeling completely overwhelmed with the enormity of this decision .
Was God really inviting me to relocate my life , together with my children , to a marginalised community with a reputation for violence and neglect ? Where do I even begin to make such a decision ? What if I get it wrong ? How can I tell the difference between my dreams and what God has for me ?
Discerning God ’ s will for our lives can feel like an impossible task . It can feel like we are left to navigate an unknown path without a map . But does it need to be like this ? Or can we frame discernment in a way that is as freeing as God ’ s love and acceptance of us ?
According to Ruth Haley Barton , discernment is our “ capacity to recognise and respond to the presence and the activity of God - both in the ordinary moments and in the larger decisions of our lives .”
It is about having eyes to see God at work in and around us . It is recognising the ways God has shaped us , and uniquely placed us in the world .
And it requires patience , as we listen to the still , quiet voice of the Spirit , revealing the work of God in our past and what He may be inviting us into for the future .
When we were faced with the enormity of our decision to relocate to live among the poorest in Bangkok , we began a period of discernment .
It was a process that began with trusting that God wanted to show Himself to us , and was inviting us to join with Him in something new . We carved out time away from the busyness of our day-today lives , to still our hearts and minds and listen to what God might be saying , but just as importantly , we invited friends and family to join with us in our discerning , and to speak into this decision .
At the end of our discernment period , there were no lightning bolts or audible words from heaven . But there was a collective peace and assurance that God was for us , and with us , whatever the next step was .
When we take time to look back at our lives , we can see that God has been gently guiding us at each turn . He has been preparing us for this place and these people .
Parker Palmer helpfully suggests , “ before I can tell my life what I want to do with it , I must listen to my life telling me who I am .”
Perhaps life-changing decisions about God ’ s will need not cause fear or panic , but rather hopeful anticipation of seeing God at work in us . Perhaps , the task of discernment in our calling or vocation is more about faithfully and boldly following the threads of our lives that have led us to that point .
In our pursuit to discern the will of God we may not hear a clear voice from heaven , but we can trust that the God who revealed Himself to us in Jesus will continue to guide us in our pursuit of Him .
When facing times of discernment may we be filled with faith like the Psalmist , boldly declaring , “ I will listen to what God the Lord says ; he promises peace to his people , his faithful servants ” ( Psalm 85:8a ).
RESONATE ISSUE 39 | PAGE 6