The Great Annual Examen
With the end of every year, it's easy to turn the page quickly and move on to the next year. But, chances are, you've experienced a plethora of moments worth reflecting on. Think about how you connected with new people, accomplished new goals, learned from mistakes, grieved relationships, taken next steps, and all the other milestones - big or small - that come mind. All of that is worth celebrating, but it can be a bit overwhelming to know how to sift through it all.
This is where the Great Annual Examen is most helpful, a reflective tool developed by Stephen W. Smith, President and Spiritual Director of Potter's Inn, that guides you to ask powerful questions, helping you notice God in every circumstance in the past year. Looking back will help you know what to bid farewell to and what to carry with you into the next year with greater intention and expectation!
Oftentimes, people are used to moving so fast that pausing to process actually feels really unfamiliar, maybe even uncomfortable. The hope is that as you continue with the curiosity of what God is doing in your life, you will grow in a greater awareness that helps you connect to yourself, with God, and with others deeply. So, grab a journal and invite a trusted friend to linger on the questions at an unhurried pace. Be slow to answer - in fact. This can be spread across a few hours to even a few days leading up to the new year.
SECTION 1: GENERAL EXAMINATION OF MY LIFE
What are the most important events that have happened to me or in me this past year?
What are the greatest breakthroughs in any category of my life this past year (physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually, and with other people)?
What has been the greatest struggle in my life this past year?
What has been my greatest and deepest loss this past year?
What has been the area that has consumed my thinking, attention, and focus this past year (health, relationship, future, etc.)?
Where have I felt most vulnerable in my life?
Where have I most experienced the presence of God this past year, and why?
In the past 12 months, where have I experienced the greatest sense of consolation (peace, happiness, contentment, shalom, serenity, beauty, etc.)?
In the past 12 months, what area of my life has given me the most desolation (preoccupation, distress, sadness, depression, anxiety, fear, brutality, etc.)?
What ONE word would tend to sum up this past year?
SECTION 2: FIVE CATEGORIES OF MY LIFE
My Physical Health:
List five words that describe my physical condition and well-being this past year.
How many hours of sleep can I honestly say I get each night?
What choices have you given attention to regarding your health these past 12 months?
What specific goals do you want to achieve in the coming 12 months (better blood pressure, weight management, exercise, etc.)?
My Emotional Health
List five FEELINGS that you believe had dominated (positive or negative from your perspective) your life this past year.
What were you doing/who were you doing this with and where were you physically when you believe you were the HAPPIEST this past year?
What were you doing/who were you doing this with, and where were you when you experienced the greatest feeling of SADNESS this past year?
What area of your life gives you the greatest sense of internal stress?
How do you feel about your emotional well-being this past year?
My Vocational Health
List five words that best describe your job/vocation/career.
This past year, have you lived to work or worked to live?
How do you feel about your vocational journey:
I want to make a change this next year.
I want to continue as I am and just as I am.
I would like to use this next year to study and prepare for a vocational change.
I want to reassess and evaluate my vocational journey this next year.
I want to re-position myself regarding my work this next year.
I believe I work ____________ hours a week. Next year, I would like to work ___________ hours a week. To do this, I will need to: _____________.
Is your job right now giving you a sense of contentment and satisfaction? Why or why not?
My Relational Health
List the names of people who have been life-giving to you this past year.
Give a letter grade to your overall sense of having a community—a sense of sharing life with a few other people. A-Excellent, B-Very good. C-Average D-Really lacking in friends
Is your lifestyle and work schedule, and present realities conducive to having the relationships you feel you both want and need? Explain more in a few sentences.
My Spiritual Health
List five words that would describe your spiritual health (distant, intimate, excellent, very poor, no time for God, etc.).
How would you describe your prayer life this past year?
How do you feel about how you have worshipped this past year?
Describe how you are feeling about your church experience.
What feels lacking to you in terms of your relationship with God?
How has your image of God changed or matured this past year?
List five words that would characterize your image of God.
How has your relationship with God been challenged this past year?
What are the three most important spiritual takeaways from this past year that you never want to forget?
Where was your deepest spiritual struggle—the place of the greatest wrestling with God or the place of your deepest lament?
Who are the people you feel the most spiritually connected to in your life?
Prayer Of Gratitude: Appreciation 1-1-1
Hopefully, the practice of examen has helped you realize the beauty of slowing down your pace and noticing God in both expected and unexpected people, places, and experiences. Ending this time of reflection of gratitude is intentional. Gratitude is actually so powerful that it opens people up to relationships. So, the next time you feel distant from God or tense with a friend or simply want to connect intentionally, try the Appreciation 1-1-1 practice:
One thing you're grateful for in the last 24 hours
One thing you're specifically grateful for about a person
One thing you're grateful for about God
Use this as your prayer to end this time of examination, either by sharing with a friend or writing it down in your journal.
When you take time to look back at what God has done, you can find meaning and encouragement from last year and see how he wants to walk with you into the next one. It's worth the time to look back and see how you got here and where you want to go next. So, here's to a new year of intention and purpose!