Spiritual discrimination is learning where to use your energy. We each have a certain amount of energy, and we need this energy to fulfill our daily life and go to God. Yet sadly, most people scatter themselves in a thousand unnecessary directions, and so do not fulfill their deepest purpose. Spiritual life is learning to become one-pointed, to harness one’s energy for the sake of the path. The practices of the path, meditation, the dhikr, and inner work, help us to become more one-pointed, to be able to focus our energy rather than being dragged by the mind and our psychological patterns in many contrary directions. But we also need to use discrimination, to learn what activities to engage in—for example when to help others and when it is better to leave them alone. Slowly we free our energy from the grip of the patterns of the ego and the nafs or lower self, and use it to be responsible in our daily life and to fulfill the heart’s calling.

The cruelty of the path comes from what has to be left behind, what has to be discarded. We discover that many patterns that appeared so important are just attachments that stand in our way. Some of these may be outer material objects. But it is usually easier to deal with outer attachments—for example, sell a car—than to discard psychological attachments—the need to be liked, for example, or the desire to be helpful. But these patterns block our energy, hold us imprisoned. Rûmî says, “Do not sell yourself at a ridiculous price, you who are so valuable in God’s eyes.” And yet through these patterns we sell ourself again and again. We sell ourself for all sorts of different reasons, for emotional support, to be accepted—some reasons are obvious and some more hidden.

Sometimes we sell ourself just to avoid doing the “one thing needful.” We busy ourself with so many useful things, good causes or negative patterns, just to avoid knowing our true worth. Because once we realize that we are “so valuable in God’s eyes,” then we have to take responsibility for our own true value and can no longer live as victims of life, no longer hide from our self. We are taken into the arena of our own self where we have to stand naked before our Lord and accept the dignity and beauty of being His servant.