This spiritual practice is saving me right now....
I share my October evening spiritual/mental practice that is bringing me a bunch load of peace in this hectic world.
Hey Fellow Faith Traveller,
Isn’t October just the best month of the year?
Just saying because it’s my birthday month. It is also the time where the temperatures start to grow warmer, the clocks spring forward, lambs are leaping, ducklings are waddling and the sunsets deepen with gorgeous palette of yellows through to pinks and blues. That is, of course, if you live in my hemisphere.
What is happening where you live? Leave a comment below.
I wanted to feel better in October. I wanted the month to mean something. After coming through a long winter, I wanted to ‘spring’ forward into something new.
I love journaling but found my practice slacking off during the winter months which in turn affected my soul - do you find that too?
So I started a new practice of reflection at the end of the day.
Why?
I wanted to savour each day.
I wanted to acknowledge my emotions.
I wanted to experience God’s fatherly and motherly love.
It is pretty simple. I created 3 questions that I ask myself each evening.
I grab my journal at the end of each day and note down my first answers without too much overthinking.
I am 20 days into this spiritual/mental practice and I am feeling way more positive and content about life.
It is like my soul takes a deep breath and exhales all the ills of the day…
…and then inhales all the gifts the day gave to me.
How did I create my 3 questions?
I googled ‘evening reflection questions” - there are lists and lists of them. They gave me inspiration to create my own. I will share with you my 3 questions that have held immense meaning to me this month but just a word of warning - they may not ignite your soul. And that’s okay. We are all different and our evening reflection times will be unique to us and where we are in life. But the incredible benefits of doing the evening reflection time will be the same.
So here are my 3 questions:
1. Where did I see God today?
(I am learning Spanish at the moment so in my journal it is - ¿Dónde vi a Dios hoy? )
If I only managed to answer this one question then I am okay with that. My desire is to be aware of God, his presence, his wisdom, his love…oh I want to know more about his unfailing, deep and inexhaustible love!
That love that led him to send Jesus to enter into our human existence and sufferings.
That love that leaves the 99 and seeks out the 1 lost lamb.
That love that searches high and low for the lost coin.
That love that runs down the road to embrace the lost son.
Then I list out where I have seen God in my day. Usually it is something to do with people, beauty or nature. Or it could be revelation I had, wisdom I gained or something good that happened. It’s a good practice to train ourselves to see God in our moments.
2. What Was My One Word for Today ? - una palabra
If you only had one word to describe your day - what would it be? No overthinking it. Just jot it down from your gut.
Here is a montage of my one words from the past 20 days. It’s in the shape of a birthday gift - a present to myself.
Super interesting - the words Mystery and Content came up numerous times. Some more reflection needed there!
3. What Emotions Did I Feel Today?
Then I just let it all hang out on the page and write down my emotions. I have a tendency to not feel my emotions. I know that sounds odd but I grew up in a church environment where we were warned against trusting in our emotions. But it has got to the point where I was struggling to feel or put words around my emotions. I have lived most of my life in my head and now I want to embrace emotions and feel each day.
Okay, I do have another question that I am posing to my soul in this spring season…
4. What Needs to “Spring” Up Tomorrow?
If you live on the other side of the world your last question maybe - What needs to ‘fall’ away tomorrow?
After I have gone through my 3 evening reflection questions, sometimes I realised that…
…something felt missing and I want more
…something felt good and I want more
Here’s some of the items that I have noted down in the past 20 days:
maybe volunteer work?
maybe dance lessons?
definitely move more
practice sitting cross legged
embrace mystery - you don’t have to be certain about everything
more of Jesus and his love and less of me and my unlove
more mercy —— less judgement
drink more water
plant more flowers
have more hugs
It’s over to you now - I would love to know…
Do you have reflection time?
What questions do you ask yourself?
What benefits have you seen from such a reflection time?
Well said dear Rachel. Thank you for these questions! I will endeavour to answer them even now as I sit to write my morning pages.
Great article, Rachel! Thank you! And Happy October Birthday!
I have gotten away from journaling and I miss it! I really would like to carve out a time for that again, but life circumstances have changed making it harder to do, but your article prompts me to try to make that time. I liked to write out my prayers when I journaled before. I think your questions are good ones. I like to incorporate praise and worship, and I really like your focuses for tomorrow and the future, and many of yours are mine as well, such as more of Jesus, less of me. I want to be more bold in my faith, as well.
Getting back to reflections, I think it would help us see over time, as we read back over them, how God is growing us, what He is teaching us!
Also, seeing journaled answers to prayer helps grow out faith.
Congratulations on learning Spanish! That is on my bucket list! Looks like you are doing really well!
We are going into fall, and it is absolutely delightful, after an extremely warm and humid summer when more people hibernate, and run from cool vehicles to our cooled homes and do not venture out unless we have to. Our fall has beautiful moderate temperatures and conversations with neighbors while out walking, bicycling (like me) or walking the dog. Delightful! Encourages us to dream again and open up our homes to fresh breezes, fresh ideas, cleaning out and beginning anew! Different season from yours but some of the same results! Our God is so good to give us these times of refreshment! In this crazy world, we need this so badly so we can continue the good fight of faith!