"Whatever Happened to Discretion?"

Imaginative Prayers from the Original Language of Jesus, Part VII

A Lenten Series

Boyan Dimitrov, artist

We spent last week at the Lily Pad, our tiny cabin in SW Michigan. It was a much-needed reprieve for me after a long winter of work and the reality of sporting a cold—my first all season! I’m so grateful to have this place and find it hard to describe how magical it feels to come away to the quiet, to the stillness, and to bask in nature. 

Clearly, I needed to reestablish my equilibrium. I needed respite and re-grounding. I also needed to cultivate and occupy quiet space within myself where I could, once again, listen to the heartbeat of God. Where I could reconnect with Jesus.  

The inner space I’m referring to is the inner space that Jesus taught his disciples to guard well. The space that he warned was vulnerable to foreign agents—the agents of distraction and disorientation. As humans living in pressurized times, we feel in our bodies the effect of being “like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). This being so, Jesus insightfully instructed us to pray,

Lead us not into temptation,

In Aramaic, the language makes clear that these temptations we face don’t come from without, and certainly not from God. They come from within! “Wela tahlan nesyuna” translates “don’t let us vacillate or become agitated inwardly, forgetting our purpose and failing to look deeper beneath the surface of what is happening.” (Prayers of the Cosmos: Reflections on the Original Meaning of Jesus’ Words by Neil Douglas-Klotz.) 

I know this kind of temptation, don’t you? It’s honestly what I’d been feeling in my body for a couple of weeks. Agitated, unsettled, out-of-sync within myself, and worn out. I also know what this emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual state can lead to—beyond getting sick! The following line of Jesus’ prayer explains.  

But deliver us from evil.

The meaning of “evil” in Aramaic conveys the sense of “unripeness” or “inappropriate action,” making the case that this is what results from inner agitation, vacillating like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. We lack wisdom and act rashly. Rather than actions that flow from a rich inner life of prayer and discernment, our actions stem from anxiety and forgetfulness. The North Star we use to navigate life has become obscured by clouds of confusion and uncertainty. 

I also know what it is like to react out of anxiety, to speak prematurely, to do something that isn’t well-thought-through, and the results are often harmful. The first example that comes to mind is my relationship with the news and social media. I’ve come to realize that it’s never wise to respond quickly, in haste, to something I read by reposting, commenting, or replying. I’ve made mistakes in the past, of which I regret. I hope I am the wiser for those mistakes and will resist the temptation to respond without discretion. 

“Whatever Happened to Discretion?”

Not only does quiet nature bathing help restore my equilibrium, but so does slow reading and reflecting. This past week, I spent hours doing both, companioned by yet another gift of words, Writing the Icon of the Heart: In Silence Beholding by Maggie Ross. One of the chapters I read was about discretion. It was not hard to connect the dots between the author’s description of discretion and these two lines in the Lord’s prayer. Discretion is the discernment that comes from the calm that Jesus urged us to cultivate (lead us not into temptation). Discretion bears the fruit of not yielding to inner agitation and the impulse to act prematurely (but deliver us from evil).  

“Discretion flows from an essential absence, an inviolable space where knowledge arises concerning the appropriateness of action or inaction. Discretion means to know when to leave things alone to work themselves out; to recognize when situations would be made more complex by our interference. In our noisy world, we are often too quick to react. Immediate responses may make us feel more secure, but far too often they compound the problem we are trying to resolve.” 

Impulsive decisions, erratic actions, and on-again/off-again judgments are the fruit of those who lack discretion. (And if you think I’m pointing a finger at someone, then please notice that he came to your mind, as well!) It is also the pattern of our noisy world to react quickly to that which incites and agitates. And though our hasty response might make us feel secure and strong in the moment, it more often than not only exacerbates the chaos. 

How desperately our world needs people with discretion who recognize when to leave things alone and when and how to speak up and take action! These two lines of the Lord’s prayer are especially urgent pleas for today. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer!  

Body and Breath Prayer:

*Find a place that allows you to walk unhindered and unencumbered—either in nature or freely indoors in a circle. As you walk, with each step become more present just to your own footfalls, now. Walking simply. Being present.... As you walk, feel yourself fully and completely accepted in the presence of God. 

*Prayers of the Cosmos: Reflections on the Original Meaning of Jesus’s Words, by Neil Douglas-Klotz