Examen

“Search me, O God, and know my heart.”

Psalm 139:23

The examen is a five-hundred-year-old evening practice of reviewing the day in God's presence. It is not self-audit; it is noticing. Consolation is where life and love grew; desolation is where they drained away.

1. Step 1

   Become aware

   Settle. Remember you are already held before you begin reviewing anything.

   How is your body and heart as you sit down?

2. Step 2

   Give thanks

   Walk back through the hours and pick up the gifts, small ones included.

   What gift stands out from today?

3. Step 3

   Notice consolation

   Where did you feel most alive, most loving, most like yourself in God?

   Where did you sense God today?

4. Step 4

   Notice desolation

   Where did you turn away, shut down, or run dry? Bring it without self-punishment.

   Where did you feel distant, anxious, or off?

5. Step 5

   Look toward tomorrow

   Ask for one specific grace for the day ahead.

   What grace do you need tomorrow?