Editor’s note: Today we begin a series exploring each of the steps of the Examen. We’re using the Examen version from Jim Manney’s book, A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer. We’ll look at a different step each week.
1. Ask God for light.
“Ready for bed?” my husband asks at the end of each evening. It’s not a question about whether I brushed my teeth. During the past 49 years, we’ve created a routine of synchronized bedtimes. In recent years, this “Ready for bed?” means it’s time to begin our individual Examens. I know I won’t see him for the next 10 minutes, because he goes into his office, shuts the door, and looks at his day with God’s guidance.
“How do you usually start?” I asked him the other night.
“I place myself in God’s presence in a conscious way,” he replied.
The truth is, without his example, I just might skip it. He had no idea until recently that he inspires me to seek light from God at the close of our day. Having a prayer buddy or accountability partner really helps me. As I watch my husband walk to his office, my heart fills with love, and I know God sees my husband the same way. Well, even better than that.
The apartment is quiet, and the lamp on a timer by the front door remains lit. I see laundry unfolded, dishes to put away, and a stack of mail; I avoid those temptations and walk to our bedroom. I realize God has been waiting for me to notice the Divine Presence all along. How tender is God! I anticipate things will surface that I missed or forgot.
I’ve struggled to keep an Examen habit consistent thanks to a list of excuses, such as, “I’m too tired,” or, “Nothing happened today.” My worst excuse is, “God won’t mind if I skip this once.” I’m not giving God this Examen; God is giving me the gift, the opportunity, to learn how God was in relationship with me over the past 24 hours.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” philosophized Lao Tzu. How will I choose to begin? On my nightstand I’ve got a business-card-sized Examen, a printout that’s half a page long, and I’ve got three phone apps that feature excellent Examen options. I still have trouble with that first step: picturing God looking at me and asking for light.
What helps me is knowing my spouse at this very moment is letting God walk him backwards through the day. If I do the same, aren’t we praying together? Shared marital prayer has always been my heart’s desire.
I like to begin the Examen with a sing-song poem:
I seek light.
What do you want me to see about this day?
I ask,
inspired by faith and full of hope.
Reveal your workings in my day,
and anywhere I
got in your way.
I seek light. What would you want me to see about this day?
