This past Fall, in our church ladies’ morning study, we were regularly encouraged to share our ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of the previous week with the women sitting around our table. Personally, I found it easy to share highs…not so easy to share lows!
Interestingly, I had just learned about this spiritual practice a few months earlier. It happens to be called ‘the Examen’ in Catholic circles. It was developed by St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), founder of The Jesuits . St. Ignatius stated that “the key to a healthy spirituality was to find God in all things..”
The purpose of Examen, then, is to help identify where God has been working in our lives. We can then identify God’s presence in everything that happens and hear him speak through both happy and difficult circumstances.
Other6 is a place where you are invited to post your own and read others’ highs and lows. Very interesting!
I really love this post, and you've given me something new to think about. Thanks for that. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd, btw, your blog is so pretty. The background, lettering...looks wonderful.
Hmmm. Interesting. It is hard to share lows, I find, especially at church. I'm not saying anything bad about church. I love church! It's just that we expect that we must portray a certain level of happiness (or 'blessedness'). I always made a point to share (usually) my REAL low as well as my real high because I place high regard on being real and connecting on a 'real' level with my church ladies who I love. It was, at times, uncomfortable. And I was also hoping that if I was 'real' than others would feel free to share their 'real' also. I don't know if it worked. I mostly just felt like a drama queen. And a big fat whiner.
ReplyDelete:-)
But I'll keep trying to be real anyway I think. Why not?
And I always feel like my HIGHS reveal me to be the true geek that I am.
Okay. I need to stop overthinking this issue. You got my brain juices going!
Great thoughts, Danica. That's what I appreciate so much about you..your realness. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't so much have a problem sharing lows one on one, but in a group setting with people I hardly know, I have a problem. Maybe it's a trust issue. Or a fear issue. Or a pride issue. Who knows?
It gets me thinking, too, Melissa. I don't often enough take the time to think about my highs and lows and what God is doing through them. I just want my lows to change to highs!
ReplyDelete