Small Acts of Obedience
By David Peterman, Jr.
Last fall we read and reflected on the book Time for God together. We learned that as we set aside time for God, we will hear his call to holiness. Very quickly we will realize that we cannot be holy through our own will and power. We need his Holy Spirit. This was the message of Chapter One of our new book, In The School of the Holy Spirit, which Mike Wagner shared about a few weeks ago.
For two weeks, we have been reflecting on chapter two which covered ten strategies to foster inspirations of the Holy Spirit such as Praise, Silence, Asking, Obedience, Abandonment and Detachment. Ann Miesch and Brenda Lenzen shared what we can do to be open to the Holy Spirit and foster his work in and through us. Our job is to practice these so that we foster his inspirations more today than we did yesterday, allowing his inspirations to grow in us each day.
Today and next week we will reflect on chapter three, which covers the topic of discernment.
As charismatics, we know that the power of the Holy Spirit is essential and that, apart from God, we can accomplish very little, and usually just get in the way. But, when we defer to his power within us, we can be a small part of God working miracles. This is why we pray for, and surrender to, the power of the Holy Spirit. As charismatics we make our life’s work fostering and acting on the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. As a result we witness his miracles. Every Sunday we hear his Spirit speak and many Sunday’s we hear miraculous witnesses and testimonies which are proof of his presence and love for us.
Chapter three helps us answer the question: How can we know that an inspiration comes from God? For the next two weeks we will discuss the importance of discernment and how to determine, amongst the cloudy mental mix of ideas, emotions, and feelings, which promptings are the Holy Spirit and how to not confuse them with our own imagination, our own wishful thinking, or worse, a temptation.
God does not contradict himself
According to Jacques Philippe, the first criterion of discernment is: God does not contradict himself. We will never hear the Holy Spirit ask us for anything that contradicts his Word, the teachings of his Church, or the demands of our vocation.
This speaks to the importance of reading and studying his Word constantly and having a spiritual companion who can help us work through inspirations that might appear to be in conflict.
As I have shared with you in the past, I have been meeting regularly with Lawson Taitte for decades. His counsel and advice have been invaluable if for no other reason than it is from a different viewpoint. I treasure this relationship, and if you do not have an active spiritual companion, I encourage you to seek one and build a relationship with someone who can help you discern. If you need help starting this relationship, ask your Area Coordinator or a woman serving the Area as a Mary or Martha.
Inner Peace
Another criterion of discernment is inner peace. A divine inspiration may be challenging or unsettling at first, but we can discern it from selfishness or a temptation, by taking time to pray and reflect on it and allowing the Holy Spirit to either build our inner peace or not.
As an example, I find myself bringing my work challenges to the Lord frequently. When I have a conflict at work, I try to hold off any immediate reaction. Then in the subsequent morning prayer times, I bring it up again and present my proposed response to the Lord and reflect on it. I have to confess that very often I hear the Lord say “Let it go,” and I realize that my proposed response is not consistent with his will, with selfless love and inner peace.
As a young adult growing up in Community, I recall a teaching on discernment that made the observation that the right choice is often the most difficult choice. Jacques Philippe also covers this point in this chapter and there is a lot of truth in it. My wife’s favorite saint, John of the Cross, wrote,“Let the soul apply itself ceaselessly not to what is easiest, but to what is most difficult, not to what pleases, but to what displeases.”
The road less traveled
Jacques Philippe further clarifies this point to say that while it is true that God calls us to love, and that loving often requires taking the road less traveled, God’s aim is not to complicate our lives but to make them simpler. Jesus is clear in Mathew 11:30 when he says, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Following God’s inspirations will often be a challenge at first, but the more we surrender and let go, the more we feel free, joyful, and spontaneous.
When pondering this point, the Lord brought back to mind my anxiety with hospitals. After getting married, Bobbie Cavnar asked if I would serve as the area coordinator for the North District. One of the responsibilities was to visit those in the hospital to pray with them. I experienced a strong anxiety about going to hospitals. The Lord also brought to mind a time where a very close friend was in the hospital dying from complications of HIV. I discovered the more I surrendered to his will and obeyed the prompting to be with my friend the more I was “cured” of my anxiety. The “burden” became lighter and lighter each time I went and eventually I recall the moment, walking the halls of that hospital, saying to the Lord, “Thank you for curing me of this anxiety.”
The implications of our response
Jacques Philippe makes a very good point about understanding the magnitude of the implication of responding to an inspiration with the quote “the greater the implication, the greater the need for time and wise counsel.” If we hear a prompting to do something unusual, that might impact our vocation or have serious implications to others, we should take more time and submit the inspiration to a spiritual companion.
Last weekend, when I was reviewing this talk with Laurie, we discussed her inspiration to take Communion to a couple of members of the Community who were in Plano hospitals. This is an example of a low-impact inspiration. It only meant giving up one evening, so it did not require a lot of careful discernment. We just did it. Despite the low impact to us, we could tell from the response that it had a major impact on those we visited. We had the confidence of knowing we were cooperating with the Holy Spirit. On the other extreme, I recall a time in 1997 where it seemed Laurie and I would need to move to Houston. The impact was very significant which led to a long discernment process and seeking counsel from Bobbie Cavnar. The magnitude of the implications of our response to discernment should certainly correlate with amount of counsel we seek to ensure we are discerning his will accurately.
One small act
My final point is an exhortation for us to be faithful to the discerned inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Reading from page 59 of the book, “one small act of obedience to God can cause us to make more progress spiritually than years of effort according to our own plans. Fidelity to small graces draws down bigger ones.”
Sisters and Brothers, this is the principle with which I try to serve you. As much as possible I try to get out of the Holy Spirit’s way. Over and over, as I plan a Community meeting or whatever I am doing, I try to get out of the Lord’s way and let the Holy Spirit lead. As I do this I see his power and majesty at work!
In the School of the Holy Spirit we learn to recognize his voice and be faithful to it so that he can work though us. It is in this way that we fulfill our calling as a covenant people to be a strong body of Christians that he can use for his purposes.
Candidly, the best way that I think that I can live In the School of the Holy Spirit is to continue to live this covenant life with you. Thank you!
Community Gathering, February 5, 2017