The Character of Discernment

Character Leadership - The Character of Discernment

"Get to know two things about a man - how he earns his money and how be spends it - and you have the clue to his character, for you have a searchlight that shows up the innermost recesses of his soul. You know all you need to know about his standards, his motives, his driving desires, and his real religion." – Robert J. Macracken

Definition:  The trait of judging wisely and objectively what is wrong and what is right.

Foolishness, Gullibility, Judging hastily are the opposites of discernment. An undiscerning person will cause great destruction to what he sets out to do. Discernment seeks out resolutions and solutions to a matter and gives wise judgment sensitively to ensure sharp and accurate decision can be made. It is wisdom at work.

What we see and what we hear may not always be the truth. Like the police in a crime scene, we should take our time to look at the information and not jump to conclusions. We should ensure that we do not accuse without sufficient facts. To make the best decisions, we are to interpret what we see and hear by seeking the truth, not the approval, acceptance, or selfishness of self and others. This process involves the ability to see from all perspective of a matter, then go deeper below the surface of the matter to see the “why” from causes, agendas, motivations, and personal reasons, and finally, to distinguish what is best, real, and true as well as evil and wrong before making an intelligent and sensible decision.

Reflection:

Ask yourself; “How do I make decisions?” In making decisions, we should learn to discern by asking questions because it allows us to discover as much new information as possible and to expand our base of knowledge. Do you ask questions before you make decisions? Do you seek the truth or go along with common popular approval when you make decisions?

As Character leaders, we must extend ourselves to other people with discernment and what flows out of discernment are foresights and discretion into matters. We must learn to trace the root causes of problems so that we can change our ways and correct our mistakes. Discernment is not to offer excuses or blame others when things are not right. We must not only learn from our past experiences but others’ experiences as well. We have much to benefit if we learn from the experiences of the wise or elderly.