We like rules. Rules are
specific. Rules are precise. Rules provide a measuring stick of how well we are
doing—and loopholes to do what we want.
This may be why many people do
not like discernment: It is neither as rigid nor as clear-cut as rules.
For while discernment affirms that right and wrong exists, it also acknowledges
that vast territories of amorphous gray areas fill our lives. After all, if
gray areas didn’t exist, why would we need to separate good from evil?
They would already be separated for us. Therefore, discernment depends on the spirit
of the law rather than the letter of the law.
The result is flexibility—flexibility
for ourselves, flexibility for others, flexibility to handle the unexpected and
ever-changing. With discernment, we can adapt with circumstances and culture.
We can provide room for growth and diversity. We can acknowledge that what is
wrong for us personally many not be wrong for another.
In short, discernment says,
that although truth is not relative, it’s
application to life might be, which in turn
eliminates our ability to judge one another yet holds us all accountable before
God.
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