A Book Review . . . How To Make Decisions In Keeping With The Will Of God
By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY
What Does God Want?: A Practical Guide to Making Decisions, by Fr. Michael Scanlan (Sophia Institute Press, 160 pages, paperback and Kindle. To order, please visit www.sophiainstitute.com or call 1-800-888-9344).
Fr. Michael Scanlan sees this book as a distillation of all that he learned during his life about making decisions and helping others to make them. He expresses the hope that readers will be able to “let go of their lives and fall into God’s will,” and thus choose wisely.
The book is mainly made up of a series of case studies of real-life decision-making, in which Fr. Scanlan goes through a process of discernment for each of these.
The author begins by offering five tests or questions that will help with decision making, namely: Is the particular course of action conformed to God’s will? Will it contribute to my ongoing conversion of heart? Is it consistent with the way God has led me in the past? Is it confirmed in some way, and lastly, does it lead to conviction of heart that I have made the right decision?
It is, then, a question of five “C’s” — conformity, conversion, consistency, confirmation, and conviction.
The author says, “If you apply these five tests prayerfully, in a spirit of submission to the Lord and openness to the Holy Spirit, you are likely to come to come to know the answer to the question: What does God want?”
Fr. Scanlan adopted this approach based on his long experience of decision making, and also on the spiritual traditions of the Church regarding this and discernment generally. He states that he wants the book to be a practical guide, but cautions that for big decisions involving life commitments, or which could have serious negative consequences if made poorly, then the counsel of a spiritual director is necessary.
An important question to ask oneself when making a decision is, “Am I truly seeking to be under God’s authority, to serve Him and His Church?” This is very important, because “the freedom of living in conformity with the will of God is immense,” and this is in fact what we were created for.
Fr. Scanlan further states that “the spirit of obedience is a crucial part of our efforts to hear the Lord and follow His will.”
Regarding conversion of heart, the author says, “The Conversion Test is especially important when we are presented with choices involving more money, more power, more public attention, or more fame.”
To determine the rightness of a particular course of action, we need to look at “the probable results, and, if possible, the results of similar decisions in the past.” But at the same time, quite often we have to make a particular decision, even if this seems to conflict with our actions in the past.
Thus, everything depends on discerning correctly. In order to do that, prayer is essential: “Prayer is the gateway to conversion. It is through prayer that we receive inner revelation about where we stand before God and what He is calling us to be.”
As for the consistency of any proposed course of action, Fr. Scanlan says, “God is consistent. When He communicates with us, He usually does so in a familiar way, a way we will recognize.” But it is also important to realize that this doesn’t mean He always does the same things.
We have to ask if what we are thinking of doing fits in with the kind of person we are, and if it is consistent with how God has worked with us in the past. But, as the author points out, God is capable of surprises, and we have to weigh the pros and cons of many factors before we can come to a spirit-guided decision, one in which, above all, we trust in God’s love and grace for help.
Fr. Scanlan says, “Once we formulate a tentative decision, it’s very important to seek confirmation for it. We should do this as prayerfully and as carefully as any other part of the process of practical, Christian decision-making.” He also says that confirmation can come either before or after we make a final decision, and that “almost all decisions — save marriage and religious vocation — can be reopened later.”
We should be guided by the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) in making decisions. When we have made our decision, is our inner state of mind one of love, joy, and peace — or is it the opposite? If we are restless, uneasy, unsure, or confused when the time comes to make up our mind, then we should pause and reflect; and likewise we should not be overly reliant on any apparently supernatural signs.
It is almost always a good idea to seek input from other people before we make a final decision, especially regarding important matters — this combats the danger of self-deception. But the author stresses that the key factor is that the people you share your decisions with should be people who really know you, and that sharing in small groups, such as prayer groups, can be very beneficial. Ultimately, though, a point will come after all the consultations when you have to make a decision, and that is your decision alone.
The final test of a decision is the inner conviction that the particular course of action being considered is indeed the right one, that is, a sense of moral certainty is present in our hearts that we are embracing God’s will.
This for Fr. Scanlan is the decisive test.
But is also possible that the matter in hand is not ready for resolution, in which case delay may well be the best option — but that should be a decision in itself and not just procrastination or a sort of paralysis.
Fr. Scanlan also deals with a sixth “C” — Confusion. What if we just don’t know what to do, or despite something apparently being a good decision, we still feel a deep anxiety about it? In that case, where there is an intense caution, we should be very reluctant to press ahead. We need to remain calm and wait for a sense of inner conviction before proceeding.
And certainly we shouldn’t make decisions merely under the pressure of circumstances, even if that allows a particular opportunity to pass us by.
All of the above apply particularly in the case of a lifelong vocations, such as to marriage or the priestly or religious life. And it is necessary to remember that the object of every such vocation is God — and not building a better society, finding self-fulfillment, or anything else. This requires a genuine relationship with God, and then being prepared to listen to Him, and also to pray for steadfastness and consistency.
Fr. Scanlan recommends writing down the ways we are “hearing God” — the things people say, passages of Scripture we find striking, how we sense things in prayer and so on. But we also have to use our God-given reason, our minds, in coming to a decision.
The author’s final piece of guidance is to, “Go for holiness,” that is to live wholly for God. If we do that we are far more likely to make the right decisions in life.
The advice given in What Does God Want?: A Practical Guide to Making Decisions, is based on the author’s own extensive life experience of making such decisions, and on dealing with many problems and queries brought to him over the years. It is full of practical commonsense advice combined with spiritual insights, and these will surely make it a valuable resource for anyone faced with making decisions be they big or small.
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(Donal Anthony Foley is the author of a number of books on Marian Apparitions, and maintains a related website at www.theotokos.org.uk. He has also written two time-travel/adventure books for young people, and the third in the series is due to be published next year — details can be seen at: http://glaston-chronicles.co.uk.)
