Pastor Angie's In-Spire-ations September 2017



Yay God!! (as Rhonda Beare would say), I have had some questions about spiritual practices! One in particular is called Self Examen. The following article is taken from Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life by Marjorie Thompson. Self-examination is just one of the many practices she writes about.


As I have worked with people over time in spiritual direction and discernment, it has become clear that the greatest barrier to these practices is fear of failure. “I won’t do it right.” “I won’t do it enough.” And so on. The wonderful thing about spiritual practices is that they are YOURS and they are between you and God.


When Thompson begins to talk about self-examen, she refers to Psalm 139 and the “beautiful expression” of God searching and knowing our hearts. She says, “Only under God’s steady gaze of love are we able to find the healing and restoration we so desperately need. When we feel ‘searched and known’ by a gracious God, we are both moved and enabled to search our own hearts honestly.”


Self-examen is the practice of “searching our hearts honestly.” We do this to figure out what things stand between us and God. There are a number of ways to do this and she devotes a whole chapter to them. In the interest of space, the one I will share with you is the “examination of consciousness.” Trust me…I’m not going new age on you. This has to do with how aware we are throughout our day. Here are Thompson’s instructions for this practice:


Throughout the day:


Pay attention to “both the good and the bad, noticing your state of mind and heart during various events and interactions.”


Pay attention to “physical and sensory data: the places, people, events, sights, sounds, tastes, smells and textures of life.”


Pay attention to “mental and emotional data: your thoughts, questions, beliefs, commitments, observations, feelings and suspicions.”


We pay attention so that we can “see where God’s grace has been present in our day, and to see where we have or have not responded to that grace.” We can begin to notice “what lies behind our feelings and reactions. We have an active desire to live in God’s presence, being led by the Holy Spirit each day. We examine our minds and hearts in order to see clearly where we have been led, when we have had a sense of God’s presence, and where or when we have lost that connection.”


Marjorie offers some guiding questions: “How has God been present to me through the people and situations I have encountered this day? Have I been aware of [God’s] presence? Where have I been responding to the Spirit today? Where have I not responded? Why?”


I have used this practice for a long time, but in different ways over time. I would love to hear how it goes if you give this a try!


~ Pastor Angie ~



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