Shannon S. McKee has 30 years of experience coaching and mentoring women in all seasons of life. She is a certified Enneagram Life Coach, helping people get unstuck, understand their own identity and gifting, and experience transformation and growth as they gain greater clarity. Using the tool of the Enneagram, she comes alongside individuals, couples, and teams so that they can understand their own story and see a path for continued growth and flourishing. Find her at www.theartofyou.us.
RHG Magazine TM - September 2022 © All rights reserved.
developing a taste for what is good. It’s developing an instinct for quality, a refined sensibility, an eye for value – to know the difference between what is good and what’s not in order to partake of the good.”
And how can we develop this instinct? Well, it’s not a quick, easy fix. We acquire taste not by accident, but by spending time training our palates and learning how to make good judgements. It’s a process, a learned skill. One that comes most comprehensively from feasting on what is true. Intentionally taking it in day after day, bit by bit. Savoring the flavors and lingering over each bite. It reminds me a little bit of St. Paul’s words to the Roman Christians in the first century: “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
While discernment has always been important, I feel like it has become even more of an issue in this current culture. In the last few decades, we have transitioned from an industrial culture to a knowledge-based culture. With the internet, our available sources of said knowledge have grown exponentially. There is really no way to escape from the constant barrage of voices telling us how to think or what to do. We are more connected than ever, move more easily than ever, and have information coming at us constantly. The options before us seem endless. I’m not saying that it’s necessarily bad or good. It’s probably a mix of both. It just is. It IS our reality and we need to acknowledge it.
And this is why discernment is more than just an intellectual exercise. Or a luxury left to a few people with some mystical sixth sense. It’s insanely practical for every one of us.
Because whether we realize it or not, we are being influenced by these voices. There are subtle messages we have assumed into our view of the world without running them through a grid of discernment. Guess what? Those assumptions and influences directly affect how we are spending our time.
Remember the “overwhelmed at managing life” feeling I mentioned in the first paragraph? It’s directly related to our ability to discern. Part of the reason our lives look like a game of whack-a-mole is because we’re just running around responding to all of the messages and priorities that we’ve assumed into our worldview without critically examining them. Without really looking to see if they are good.
Before we head into this final quarter that is often the busiest of all, maybe take a step back and lay down the mallet. Look closely at the priorities you've assumed and think with more intentionality about my time, my purpose, and my motivations.
messages we have assumed into our view of the world without running them through a grid of discernment. Guess what? Those assumptions and influences directly affect how we are spending our time.
Remember the “overwhelmed at managing life” feeling I mentioned in the first paragraph? It’s directly related to our ability to discern. Part of the reason our lives look like a game of whack-a-mole is because we’re just running around responding to all of the messages and priorities that we’ve assumed into our worldview without critically examining them. Without really looking to see if they are good. Before we head into this final quarter that is often the busiest of all, cam we take a step back and lay down the mallet. Look closely at the priorities you've assumed and think with more intentionality about your time, purpose, and motivations?