A Health Check

This week we are due for our annual health check with the Doctor. Don’t anticipate any problems but it is good to get things checked out, I suppose. Do we take a spiritual health check as seriously? Indeed when did we last have one? I know we go to church regularly, recite the familiar words, sing our favourite hymns, listen politely to the sermon and then go home for another week. Is that enough? Yes, you will make your private prayers during the week and they are just that, private and personal, so that how you pray to God is up to you. What I am suggesting though is putting the kettle on for a nice cup of tea, drawing up a couple of armchairs round the fire and sitting down for a good old chat with your Best Friend; metaphorically speaking of course.  Being your Best Friend, you can tell Him all your troubles, worries and doubts, not forgetting to thank Him for all His goodness and His love for you.  He knows you, loves you and understands you, better than you know yourself, in fact! Naturally, any conversation is two-way so do listen to what He has to say.

As a structure try starting of the day by thanking God for the new day and for the opportunity it presents for you to do His Will. Then ask yourself, “What can I do for God today?”

At the end of the day, set aside some quiet time to review the past day with gratitude. Try the following:

1. Ask yourself: What am I especially grateful for over the past day? It may be simply the gift of another day in your already long life! Perhaps the love and support you have received or the courage you have found to tackle that impossible task. Maybe something that took place today for which you need to give thanks.
2. Then ask God to let you look back on the day through His eyes and not your own rose coloured spectacles!
3. Look back over the day with gratitude for the good things God has given you but also look back honestly over the areas that have not gone so well. For example, how was your temper today? Only lost it twice? That’s an improvement I suppose!
4. That leads nicely to the next point. “What have I done for God today?”  and where in my life do I need to ask for God’s help to improve?
5. Lastly, and don’t rush to get to this point, do take careful, thoughtful prayer over the events of the day, but finally look forward to the day ahead. Remembering that I can do nothing worthwhile on my own, where do I need God’s help tomorrow? What is He asking me to do for Him then?
   

Some of you will recognise this as a practice you know as Examen but it is a good pattern for anyone’s daily spiritual health check. Why not try it?