The Examen Prayer

Over the last several posts, I have shared about listening to our hearts and allowing whatever we  find there, to teach us. This morning, during prayer, I discovered that I was feeling a little overwhelmed by all I needed to do. There is a lot on my plate as I am working toward forming this ministry. I enjoy it all, but there is a lot to do.

In noticing my feeling of being overwhelmed, I could just push through it and tackle everything that is on my plate. I could also decide to not do some of it. I could even decide to take a nap!

The thing is, being overwhelmed isn’t a bad thing and it doesn’t need to be fixed. In noticing it and listening, I realized I am overwhelmed because, well... there is a lot to do. This is true and I enjoy doing all these tasks. The invitation is to notice, not judge or resist this feeling, allow it to teach me, and then let it go.

What I sensed through this process was an invitation to allow myself to be present in God’s presence. I can trust the journey one step at a time while following God’s lead and not the next hurried task. Even in so many things to do, the chaos of busyness can subside, and I can move forward one step at a time.
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In this transformational journey, we don’t become something different than we are. We become more fully who we have always been. The refinement or trueness of the journey is bringing us back to the likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27) in which we were created. It seems amazing, yet true - how could it not be? 

The barriers and walls we put up, hide who we really are. They distort our very essence, both to ourselves and to others. We form them in reaction to something. They become a diversion to the true life journey we are invited to pursue. 

The dissonance in our lives, the despair, pain, loss - the unsettledness - what often feels like shifting sand beneath our feet are an invitation to embrace the uncomfortableness we feel. With God, we can discover the lies, fears, or doubts that are the root or support of any barrier. In this journey of continued self-discovery, we are becoming more and more our true selves, more fully in-tune with who God created us to be. Each of our strengths becomes ever so much deeper, fuller, and truer. 

So what do we do? We listen, we listen with our whole selves to what our inner teacher is teaching us. We listen to the unsettledness we feel. We notice our reactive responses and the places we are uncomfortable. Instead of reasoning them away, we listen to them and open ourselves to God’s gaze in the midst of the pain, unsettledness, loss or whatever is going on in our hearts. We listen…

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The practice I use as a regular rhythm in my life is The Examen Prayer. This prayer was first shared by Ignatius of Loyola during the 16th Century. It is an opportunity to look at what happens during a day with God. During the practice, you can either look at your day, one event at a time, or hold two contrasting questions. This is the handout I often use in the classes I teach. 

Examen Prayer

• Find a comfortable spot to pray.
• Close your eyes and breathe deeply to relax and become centered – become aware you are in God’s presence.
• Take one of these two approaches.
  • Option 1: Walk through your day’s interactions. Start at the beginning and look at each encounter, thought, or event with God. Remember it isn’t about achieving but walking through it in God’s presence. Watch and listen to your heart for places to stop and ponder. When you notice something bubbling up, a check in your spirit, God’s nudge, take and notice how you felt and look at it with God. Ask for God’s view of it.
  • Option 2: Hold your day before God and think about one set of questions from the following list. As you think about them, notice what bubbles up for you. Then give your reactions, the event, and your feelings to God and ask for God’s view of it.
    • Where did I experience God today? Where did I not experience God
      today?
    • Where did I feel loved today? Where did I not feel loved today?
    • Where did I love today? Where did I not love today?  
• As emotions arise, whatever they are, ask God to help you see more. For example, why am I anxious? Why do I feel hurt? What was I expecting? What am I feeling? Lord, what do you want to show me? This isn’t a time to correct yourself for your actions or to judge another person for theirs. It is a time to notice your own reactions and responses to an experience and see how God sees it. If you notice condemnation for the emotions you feel, it probably isn't God but your own false self. ​As we sit with God with regard to our feelings, God often reveals what is behind or underneath them. 
• As you close this time, thank God for what was revealed through your time together.
• Reflect on your experience. I often do this through journaling a response to God.

A continual practice of the Examen Prayer can be part of the journey toward greater self-awareness and a deeper relationship with God. As we show up vulnerably with God, we can experience peace and reconciliation inside ourselves. As we experience greater peace and unity, this same peace and unity flow to our community. 

In the process, we wait in the light. This journey of transformation is passive on our part. The invitation, for each of us, is to show up in it.  As we wait in the light, we can begin to see our own belovedness in God’s gaze. We begin to surrender to that very place, our belovedness and God’s reminder that God is always for us!

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