Closer Than They Appear
On discernment, perception, and the quiet peace of trusting.
The more discerned I become, the less I give a damn about perception.
It’s not that I care less, it’s just that I care intently. About truth instead of optics. Alignment instead of approval. Substance not spectacle.
Almost forty years on God’s green Earth — I am grateful to arrive at this knowing.
Because there was once a time when I needed everything to make sense — the people, the timing, the endings. I wanted logic to soothe what only faith could hold. But lately, I’ve been realizing that discernment isn’t about understanding everything; it’s about trusting what you sense, even when you can’t explain it. More importantly, it’s about learning to lean not on our own understanding.
To walk by faith, not sight
The more spiritually grounded I become, the more I see discernment as a form of divine intimacy. It’s how God says, I trust you to recognize Me in the details. Ooof – that hits!
To be trusted to discern feels like sacred responsibility. That’s a weight I want to carry — not the weight of perception.
Because perception is performance. It’s the highlight reel, the filtered version of faith, the illusion of control. Perception will have you curating a life that looks good but doesn’t feel good. Trust me, I’ve lived it. It’ll have you chasing aesthetics over authenticity, living in a loop of confusion disguised as seeking “clarity.”
You’ve heard it before — the “finding myself” quest.
I used to tell myself this same story — needing to be understood, needing to be seen the “right” way, and crafting moments that fed those desires. But when you start walking in truth and stop auditioning for belonging. You’ll find that you just…. belong.
I fear it’s true what they say…. objects in mirror are in fact closer than they appear. What you’re seeking, the peace, the understanding, the lesson — it’s usually nearer than it seems when you choose to see the hard truths and trust the uncertain process.
That’s the gift of discernment — it turns uncertainty into peace, and peace into proof.
Because the more discerned we become, the less we feel urged to explain ourselves.
The urge shifts to protecting true inner peace, which becomes its own confirmation.
Shauntavia