The 26th Step on John’s Ladder is Discernment. It involves several different stages, the first one being SELF-KNOWLEDGE. To “knows thyself” is the first level of discernment. When we begin spiritual life, enthusiasm must be tempered with humility and knowledge or we will try to go too far too fast. At the same time, we must not allow our own weakness and reluctance to change our ways to dictate our spiritual life and thus cause us to remain content with our failure to reach the Christian ideal, confusing “difficult” with “impossible.” We are only called to do what we can, but many people interpret that as doing what we want or what makes us comfortable. To live the gospel is not easy, but neither is it impossible. The commandments to love your enemy, to forsake all for the gospel, to endure affliction and turn the other cheek are not for the select few, but for every one of us. No one should plead inability to do what is asked of us in the gospels, since there are souls who have accomplished far more than the gospels demand of us.

Unfortunately, God’s commandments are not always easy to keep due to our own weaknesses and these weaknesses can encourage some to dismiss them as truly unrealistic and idealistic. Too many people think of God’s commands as negative burdens instead of positive opportunities.

While some Christians like to take various passages of Scripture literally and use them to judge others, the Jesus Way of Living directly negates this approach. What the Scriptures call us to do is to “attempt” to live the way that Jesus lived, clearly understanding that we will probably never be able to match His accomplishments in a perfect manner. What is important, however, is our intentions. Do we really want to grow in our likeness of Jesus? Do we see His way of living as a way that will bring us into deeper and truer communion with our God?