“And dwell in that which is pure of God in you, for fear that your thoughts get forth, and then evil thoughts get up, and surmising one against another, which arises out of the veiled mind, which darkens the pure discerning. But as you dwell in that which is of God, it guides you up out of the elementary life, and out of the mortal into the immortal, which is hidden from all the fleshly ones, where is peace and joy eternal to all who can witness the new birth.” George Fox

I have discovered that the ‘veiled mind’ is a mind that makes decisions outside of discernment. When I allow cares and concerns or others’ opinions to steer my judgment of the correct path to take in any given situation, it almost always turns out for the worse. I find that I tend toward this kind of decision-making when I am under pressure; I don’t stop to test thoughts and leadings and can speak harshly or act without consideration of the effects of my words or actions upon others.

Therefore, it is always imperative to nurture within myself a practice of abiding in the Light so that it becomes more second-nature for me to respond to any situation with a discerning heart. This is an attitude that cannot be attained overnight. I have worked on this for years and still struggle to consistently “listen to the still small voice” within.

I have been privileged to experience true discernment in some major areas of my life. I only wish I could make it a stronger part of my daily life and ministry – in teaching, for example. The key is to persevere no matter the obstacles. I could cite a plethora of excuses that keep me from being able to make this a reality, but none of them are valid enough if I truly wish to “dwell in that which is God” and bring the message of “peace and joy eternal to all who can witness the new birth.”

In witnessing the horrors of the violence related to the protests, it occurred to me that if every human being could make the effort to slow down and discern actions before taking them, our world would be a very different place. Unfortunately, we can play only a small part in the alleviation of an insurmountable problem. It can seem overwhelming, but if we look at it from the perspective of the pebbles thrown into a giant lake, we can see that our tiny steps toward deep discernment of our actions can produce ripples that reach the ends of the earth. 

Lisa Erazmus

Photo by Mark Olsen-Unsplash