One of the most life-giving spiritual practices for me is the daily examen. It is a review of my day with the ongoing question of where did God show up in my day. By looking at my day and noticing where His Presence was in my daily life; it helps me become more aware of His Presence in the moment. Through my practice of the daily examen I have become much more grateful. I have also seen many areas where I need to grow.
I was instructed to do the examen before I went to bed for the night. However, I prefer to start my day with the examen, reviewing my previous day.
To begin, you might want to sit someplace comfortable and free of distractions. Before you begin, if you feel comfortable, take a few deep slow breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Give thanks. Thank God for the day that you just lived. You might thank God for walking through the day with you. Or, thank God for His love for you. These are just some suggestions to help you start. Starting the examen with gratitude helps connect our hearts to God. You might find that you have much more to give thanks for than you realized.
Ask the Lord to let you look at your day through His eyes and not merely your own eyes.
Ask the Holy Spirit to make you mindful of the places that you need to grow and to change. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of where your life was evidencing the fruit of the Spirit. This isn’t about just seeing where you dropped the ball but also paying attention to where you did good.
Review your day. I enjoy journaling; I prefer to write down my examen. Some people pray silently as they revisit their day. Some people prefer to pray out loud. There is no formula, its whatever you feel comfortable with.
As you review your day look for God. When you started the day and the sun was shining and you smiled; was He there in that moment? Or when you thought about a friend and decided to send an email or a text to them; was He there in that moment? When were you aware of feeling close to God? When you look back; and notice where God was in your day and then realize that in that moment you weren’t aware of His presence, there is no shame. I don’t believe the Lord is bringing this awareness to point out that you missed Him, that you blew it. On the contrary, I believe He is helping you become more aware of His desire for connection and intimacy with you.
Don’t be surprised, as you look back at your day if you see some blind spots. There have been countless times during the examen that I saw things that I had said or attitudes that I had towards my wife or friends that I needed to revisit with them and apologize to them. This too is not about shame or pointing out our wrongs. It is about making us more aware, more present. It also gives us an opportunity to work on areas in our souls that we may have been blind to.
You can finish the day’s examen by asking the Lord to help you be aware of His presence in the next day (or for me in the day that I am about to start).
I hope the examen draws your heart closer to His.
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