#310

One solitary, but bold, bird chirping confidently like an opera singer doing voice exercises and testing out his voice...

'St. Paul calls his readers to take a sober look at themselves (Rom 12.3) and respond to the call of God according to who they are. Some are leaders; some are not. Some are teachers; some are not. Humility means recognizing both our limitations and our potential, recognizing where we need others and where we can make a contribution to meeting the needs of others. Humility graciously accepts both dimensions - our limitations and need for others and our potential, our ability to contribute to the well-being of others. The former does not diminish us; the latter does not inflate us. With sober judgment we simply accept who we are. And this humility is essential for effective discernment. Therefore, part of becoming a discerning person is to grow in knowledge of one's self.... Self-knowledge includes self-acceptance - honestly owning who we are. If we do not accept who we are, and more, actually like who we are, we will probably not be able to meet God freely and respond to that encounter. We will always be attempting to be someone other than who we are; we will be living a lie.' (pp 90-91 'Listening to God in Times of Choice: The Art of Discerning God's Will' Gordon Smith)