I found this prayer hiding in my unpublished drafts. It sounds like me, but I don't remember composing it! If anyone can find out who wrote it originally do let me know. In the meantime, I invite you to share in this prayer.
Lord
I place myself in Your presence
After the strain and turmoil of the day
I rest quietly here, as a little boat
which has been tossed by the waves
and buffetted by the wind
rests secure in a sheltered harbour.
Here my projects lose their power over me
A healing process begins
My fragmented self is reassembled
and I am made whole again.
In Your presence, I experience my true worth
which consists not in doing but in being.
I surrender myself into Your hands.
I am at peace
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Friday, 16 July 2010
How to make a decision, Jesuit style
This letter has been hanging round for years and I finally decided to type it up so I can keep it in a safe place! By way of introduction, this was one of the very last lessons I learned while working on the Spirituality Course run by the Jesuits. While I initially thought I would just transcribe the letter, I ended up making minor adjustments, purely for my own referencing convenience. Perhaps it will be helpful to others.
There are three elements in Decision Making - Prayer, Data and Confirmation.
Prayer needs to accompany every stage. Prayer in a spirit of freedom from bias, and obedience to God. We should be listening a fair bit, because we are asking which direction to take, to be closest to Jesus. I don't know Jesus always says loud and clear 'come to Me' but ah, crucially, discernment is about recognising Jesus inviting me to accompany Him and to work with Him. Jesus doesn't 'send' without consent. So, prayer and discernment is about looking for Jesus.
Secondly, as all good researchers know, your data is only as good as your question. So in the Data section, how we focus and frame the issue is a simple and powerful exercise. Avoid negativity because it confuses the issue. Think in the context of options if we give up our current position. It helps to make us face up to the real issues. There is usually somethiing we don't want to lose in the present we are in. Next, we have to pray about the 'for' and 'against' reasons. We need to find out all the information. From all relevant angles. Be practical.
Confirmation is both internal and external. We are taught that we first arrive at a tentative conclusion (draft 1) and offer it up to God. It is a great help to have someone listen as you try to describe your moods (how you feel as you visualise / process the data) That is the internal part. External confirmation is quite funny i.e. actually we are advised that this part can be quite practical. Ever had the feeling that things just 'fell into place' or that it was 'meant to be'? God opens doors, in more ways than one.
Conclusion: The decision making process may seem quite practical, perhaps too practical to qualify as a 'spiritual' way of decision making in obedience to God. Recall however, that St Ignatius, as a courtier and soldier was first and foremost trained in practicalities.
There are three elements in Decision Making - Prayer, Data and Confirmation.
Prayer needs to accompany every stage. Prayer in a spirit of freedom from bias, and obedience to God. We should be listening a fair bit, because we are asking which direction to take, to be closest to Jesus. I don't know Jesus always says loud and clear 'come to Me' but ah, crucially, discernment is about recognising Jesus inviting me to accompany Him and to work with Him. Jesus doesn't 'send' without consent. So, prayer and discernment is about looking for Jesus.
Secondly, as all good researchers know, your data is only as good as your question. So in the Data section, how we focus and frame the issue is a simple and powerful exercise. Avoid negativity because it confuses the issue. Think in the context of options if we give up our current position. It helps to make us face up to the real issues. There is usually somethiing we don't want to lose in the present we are in. Next, we have to pray about the 'for' and 'against' reasons. We need to find out all the information. From all relevant angles. Be practical.
Confirmation is both internal and external. We are taught that we first arrive at a tentative conclusion (draft 1) and offer it up to God. It is a great help to have someone listen as you try to describe your moods (how you feel as you visualise / process the data) That is the internal part. External confirmation is quite funny i.e. actually we are advised that this part can be quite practical. Ever had the feeling that things just 'fell into place' or that it was 'meant to be'? God opens doors, in more ways than one.
Conclusion: The decision making process may seem quite practical, perhaps too practical to qualify as a 'spiritual' way of decision making in obedience to God. Recall however, that St Ignatius, as a courtier and soldier was first and foremost trained in practicalities.
Masks and Subterfuge
A friend told me that my true path will be revealed to me when I have the courage to walk it. I am about to be interviewed for a third time by a company I think I would enjoy working for, but was told by my headhunter that they might be interviewing me for 'something else' other than the role that I originally applied for. This is annoying because for the first time, I am going blind into the interview. Remember that the headhunter is on the side of his paymaster.
Well, to look on the bright side, at least I have a chance to meet the bosses, and take a view on whether I would like to work with them. I need to think carefully about my base case 'ideal job' and if they are not making a reasonable offer, I should not put on a mask and be someone other than who I am.
Well, to look on the bright side, at least I have a chance to meet the bosses, and take a view on whether I would like to work with them. I need to think carefully about my base case 'ideal job' and if they are not making a reasonable offer, I should not put on a mask and be someone other than who I am.
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