Sabbath Devotional :: The Gift of Discernment

There have been many times in my life when I have been wrong about things. But there was one time in particular when I was really wrong about something, and it resulted in a lot of pain and personal anguish. I was deceived. I put my trust in the wrong person and listened to the wrong voices. I did eventually arrive at a place of clarity and truth, but damage had already been done and it was not an easy thing for me to recover from.

Although it was painful, this experience taught me many valuable lessons that have continued to help me as I have moved forward. Many of those lessons have revolved around principles of truth and discernment. After such a personal experience with deception, it became more important than ever for me to understand and cultivate the gift of discernment in my own life. This is something I have devoted a great amount of thought and effort to over the past several years. It has become clear that the gift of discernment will be essential to each of us as we must navigate our way through all of the untruths, partial truths, distorted truths, misinformation, and disinformation that is thrown at us on a daily basis.

I have determined that the gift of discernment is not a gift that some people are simply given, while others simply are not. It is something that is available to all of us, but must be continually sought after and cultivated. It is something that comes “line upon line” (2 Nephi 28:30), with a lot of action and effort between those lines. Discernment is an ongoing process, not a one-time bestowal. As with other gifts of the spirit, we must do our part. In the case of discernment, I believe our part includes several key ingredients.

Humility

If we desire the gift of discernment in our lives, I believe one of the most essential ingredients is humility. By virtue of being human, every single one of us is carrying around ideas, beliefs, and perceptions that are distorted and flawed. We all “see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). How can we recognize truth if we do not first acknowledge that we are sometimes (perhaps often) wrong? How can we be taught truth if we believe we already have all the truth we need? How can we receive truth if we do not remain open to new ideas and information?

I believe that one component of humility is being teachable. To be teachable, we need to be open to new ideas. We need to be able to change our minds when presented with new information rather than stubbornly digging our heels in because we don’t want to admit that we may have been wrong. Changing your mind is not a sign of weakness, but an indication that you are open to new ideas and that you make adjustments as you are presented with new information. I consider that a strength, not a weakness.

We also need to recognize that being human makes each one of us vulnerable to deception. Living the gospel is not an automatic safeguard against all deception. My own painful experience helped me to understand this and has helped me to have more compassion, patience, and grace for others who are deceived.

Tolerating Discomfort and Uncertainty

There was a time in my life when I thought that the gift of discernment would simply come as a feeling, telling me what was true and what was not true. This is one reason I struggled to navigate my way through deception — I had intense feelings that were constantly changing. In Latter-day Saint culture, we often talk about the Holy Ghost speaking to us through our feelings. But I have learned that feelings do not always reflect truth. In fact, our feelings often tell us things that are not true. Because of this, I have found that my feelings cannot be my only guide when it comes to discerning truth.

The Holy Ghost is often referred to as the Comforter. It is true that there are times when the Holy Ghost brings us feelings of comfort. But we would be mistaken to think that the Holy Ghost always brings us feelings of comfort or only speaks to us when we are comfortable. Truth is not always comfortable. It can be very uncomfortable to challenge our own long-held ideas and beliefs, but that is something we need to be able and willing to do if we want to be able to discern truth.

It can be uncomfortable to accept that there are things we don’t know. It can be especially uncomfortable to realize that there are things we thought we knew that we may have been wrong about. We might resist this discomfort by clinging to anything that feels more comfortable, telling ourselves that we are certain and that our ideas are correct. But if we want to grow, we must learn to tolerate discomfort. We must learn to sit with uncertainty. As I have learned to acknowledge my own uncertainty, I have found that it often seems that I have more questions than answers. But I have also found that having questions is not a bad thing. Accepting uncertainty and acknowledging my questions helps me to keep an open mind and propels me to continually seek after personal revelation. The more I have been able to accept and even embrace discomfort and uncertainty, the more I have grown and found myself being led to greater truth.

Study it Out

I have learned that cultivating the gift of discernment in my life requires continual effort on my part. I believe that I should bring my questions to the Lord in prayer. But I believe the Lord expects much more of me than that. He expects me to be actively seeking answers and good information. In Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-8, the Lord told Oliver Cowdery: “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind. . . .”

“Studying it out in my mind” has become an essential step in the process of fostering discernment. I believe that God blessed me with a brain, and he expects me to use it. While logic and reason don’t always hold all of the answers, they should certainly be playing an important role as I seek information and make decisions. There are many ways my brain can assist me as I sort through information. I should continually be exercising my critical thinking skills. I can learn to recognize and watch out for logical fallacies. I should seek a variety of perspectives and consider different points of view. I must take care to avoid getting locked into echo chambers or partisan thinking.

God has blessed me with certain gifts, but not with all gifts. I am not a doctor, a scientist, a lawyer, or a historian. But he has blessed other people with those talents, and I can seek out and listen to their expertise. President Nelson has reminded us that “good inspiration is based upon good information” (April 2018, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives). If I want good inspiration, I should do all I can to seek after the best information, which will likely come from those who have experience and knowledge that I do not.

Examining Fruits

In a world of loud voices where we are bombarded with information and where we can find something on the internet to back up just about any claim we want, how do we know what information to study and what sources to trust?

In the New Testament, Jesus taught: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. . . Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:16-17, 20).

Examining “fruit” has helped me decide what media I consume and what voices I trust. This does not mean that I discard all upsetting news or information that I don’t like as “bad fruit” because it makes me uncomfortable. Life will be full of bad news and unpleasant truths. Examining fruit is not about selecting the information that makes me feel good, but about determining what sources I listen to and trust.

When I am presented with information, I consider the source. Is this person/source known for being honest and reliable with facts? What is the intended target audience? Are there any underlying agendas that they may be supporting? I examine the fruit by asking myself: What is the purpose of this information? What is it trying to persuade me to do or think? Does it provoke fear? Does it stir up anger? Does it seek for solutions, or cause division and discord? Does it inspire me to act in a positive and constructive way? Is it subtly sowing seeds of hate or distrust of others? Does it promote “othering” or “us vs. them” thinking?

There is an important distinction that must be made here. There is true, reliable information that may bring up legitimate feelings of anger, sadness, or fear. And then there is information that is exaggerated, twisted, or distorted to intentionally stir up feelings of anger or fear and perpetuate division and discord. It can be tricky to tell the difference, but it is important that we learn to do so. This is where developing media literacy skills becomes essential.

Checking Myself, Not Just Others

It is easy for me to recognize when I think others are not accurately discerning truth. I am quick to fact-check others when I think they are incorrect. But it is especially important that I continually check myself. I need to continually check my own facts. I need to continually check the state of my own mind: is it open to new ideas and information? Perhaps most importantly, I need to continually check the state of my heart. Is it soft or hard? Is it focused above all else on obeying the two great commandments, to love God and to love others? We should speak up on behalf of truth. But we should be speaking from a place of love. We will need to exercise judgment as we seek to discern truth. But we must be careful in the judgments we make about our brothers and sisters. As MWEG’s third and fifth principles of peacemaking state: “Peacemaking demands great tolerance for people and none for injustice. Peacemaking chooses love instead of hate.”

Truth

I echo the words of Jennifer Walker Thomas and Emma Petty Addams in a recent devotional: “Believe everything that the gospel affirms about the Lord’s desire to share truth. He works in openness. He shares his truths widely and freely. He wants us to have all the knowledge necessary for our happiness and salvation. He does not work in darkness or support those who do.”

Jesus taught that “the truth shall make [us] free” (John 8:32) and that “whatsoever is truth is light” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:45). Truth matters. Truth is discernible. God wants us to receive truth, and he will help us as we sincerely seek to discern truth. But we must do so in humility, with open minds and open hearts, willing to be uncomfortable, putting forth effort to study and learn. And we must do so coming from a place of love.