Examine of Gratitude

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It’s time again. To “turn aside” like Moses did with the burning bush. God waited. God waited for Moses to give Him his attention.  
I imagine God gasping with delight: “Moses is looking!  He is lending his attention!” This is my favorite part of the holidays...this beginning

with Thanksgiving followed by the preparation for Christmas that is the most meaty with meaning part of it all.

4 “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” [Exodus 3]

First of all...note that Moses led his flock to the “far side of the wilderness”
(Ex 3:1).  
Ever been there?

Gratitude is punctuated the loudest in the middle of the wilderness - when we are drawn out of the lesser loves and occupancies of our heart and while it feels like surgery to remove some of those comfort lesser loves...it creates space for seeing.

For Moses I think, it was because he was on the far side of the wilderness that he “turned to see”.

Isn’t it true that as we are zinging around the to-do’s of the day and putting one foot in front of the other that our ability to see gifts is vastly limited?


How do I move from zinging and surfing to-dos to calling my attention to graces and gratitudes?  

This is where I bumped into the “The Examine” and I found it to be a tool and an offering and a weapon to wield in the face of the zing and surfing.

What is the examine?  It is a spiritual practice developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola.  It is to be used as short 10-15 minute reflection on your experience of God’s presence and freedom of spirit  throughout the day. The tradition has a deep history of reprogramming us to notice the graces and gratitudes in the moment by the discipline of reflecting on the near past in regular measure.

The more regularly notice where your attention was in the past the more regularly you will notice where your attention is in the present.




I want to share this little book with you, as it offered me a really practical approach to honing my experience of God’s presence, prayer, reflection, and re-ordering what is amiss:


The beauty is that this is a SIMPLE and BRIEF discipline to sew into your practices of tuning yourself for the day, whenever and however you do that. The variety and the language used are two components that make this book beneficial. The author’s addition of meaningful and connectable “twists” on the practice - allow it to be changed up slightly toward the challenge of the day.

For a general overview of the process he offers this sequence:

  • Relish the moments that went well and all the gifts I have today
  • Request the Spirit to lead me through my review of the day
  • Review the day
  • Repent of any mistakes or failures
  • Resolve, in concrete ways, to live tomorrow well.

In honor of gratitude, I am adapting one of his specific Examines in order for you to experience this for yourself. Remember: TEN minutes max!  Don’t belabor.  And if you like what is here or are curious of a closer look,  please do consider buying the book - it is a tiny little inexpensive book that has a big impact.



Happy Gratitude Sleuthing and Claiming!  
You are loved, tribe! 

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