Hearing with the Heart

Hearing with the Heart:
A Gentle Guide to Discerning God's Will for Your Life

by Debra K. Farrington
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003

Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

In Hearing with the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God's Will for Your Life, Debra Farrington offers a roadmap for seeking out God in our lives and discovering His will. Discernment, or the art of listening for God's call, is a commitment to "live with God at the center of our lives." It is not a one-time decision. We are called to recommit ourselves to God over and over again throughout our lives. Hearing with the Heart describes several steps in the process of focusing on God. The first is prayer. "Praying is simply a conversation or contact with God - nothing more and nothing less." In prayer, we come to know the voice of God and "have a better chance of recognizing God's guidance, not confusing it with the voice of our own ego or of the culture around us." Farrington also encourages the spiritual seeker to take a hard look at her life, to write down pivotal decisions that she has made, or events that have occurred to see how they have shaped her life. She suggests making a pro and con list when faced with a major decision and creating lists of one's skills and gifts in order to better understand oneself. Such practical intellectual tasks are very welcome in what can otherwise be a purely emotional experience. She also delves into spiritual direction, how to find a spiritual director or community and how to make the most from those relationships.

Ultimately, as we grow closer to God, our will should align itself with His, and surrendering to God should become easier. Farrington acknowledges, however, that following God's will can be a challenge. We often desire to follow God's will but hope that doing so will not require us to change our self-image or the aspects of our life that are familiar and welcoming to us. Fortunately, in most cases, we are not asked to make such huge sacrifices. As Farrington states, "God needs all kinds of co-creators in this world, including the ones who will give everything they have to the poor and those who can teach a nursery school class with grace and love." Unfortunately, orienting oneself to God and making God the number one priority in our lives can be difficult on our family and friends, because while we are changing, we are forcing them to change in terms of their relationship to us. Farrington encourages us to be compassionate towards them and ourselves as we make this transition.
Hearing with the Heart is an extremely well-written explanation of the discernment process. It provides a concrete path for helping to discover God's will in our lives.




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