Defining Stage

Stage #2 of spiritual design thinking is entitled "defining"

The focus of this stage is to define what God is saying and doing in our lives. The emphasis is on "appreciating" or focusing on the positive things that God is doing in our lives. The defining stage seeks to build on what God is already doing.

In design thinking, this stage is described as the "sense making" section of the design process. From a spiritual formation perspective, "sense making" is synonymous with the spiritual act of "discernment." Appreciative Inquiry (AI) provides a helpful framework for spiritual discernment because it assumes that the questions that we ask will focus our attention in a specific direction. By focusing on the positive things that God is doing, we are intentionally focusing on the Holy Spirit's activity. It is important to note that this approach is rooted in a theological belief that God is already at work in our midst and it is more than just positivistic thinking. Discernment is a spiritual discipline that devotes energy towards defining God's activity in our lives.

Another important consideration in the spiritual design process is the importance of convergent and divergent thinking. The empathy stage is an example of divergent thinking. The question "what is God saying?" potentially leads to the "opening up" or generation of new possibilities. The defining stage however is more of a convergent way of thinking. The question "what positive things is God already doing?" leads to a more focused perspective on the Holy Spirit's activity. The spiritual design thinking process will go back and forth between divergent as well as convergent thinking.