End of Year Visual Examen

End of Year VISUAL EXAMEN

I’ve never been one to create New Year’s Resolutions. However, the idea of reflecting for the purpose of living life with intentionality, resonates. If given the space, I could enter into reflection and processing mode for hours. Unfortunately, this is an unrealistic expectation in this season of life and especially during the holidays. As of late, I give myself the whole month of January, not just the last day of the year or the first of the new year. Using an examen as a form of reflecting with God allows me to see where He was at work. Using visual cues allows for deeper and more holistic processing. In this space I consider how I grew, saw God at work, grieved or celebrated and ultimately became a different person in the year prior moving into the new year with purpose. Here are a few suggested questions and approaches.    

Top Reflection Questions:

·      What area(s) consumed my thinking and attention most?

·      Where did I experience God’s delight?

·      What are the most important events that took place in the last year?

·      Who are some of the significant people that were present in my life?

·      Where did I see the greatest breakthroughs (physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually)?

·      Where did I see the Lord at work in me this year?

While you may begin by just diving in, I find a few approaches aide my processing best. Begin by creating a quiet reflective space. Set aside distractions. Choose one of the following 4 visual prompts approaches.

Approach:

1.     15-30 minutes: Look through your calendar and make a list of the top events. Let these events prompt your thoughts as you contemplate the questions above.  

2.     30 minutes-1 hour: If you take photos, look back over the year’s pictures, such as on your smart phone and allow the visual stimulus to jog your brain in reflecting the questions above.

3. 1-2 hours: If you journal, look at your entries from the last year and note the important events and areas that concerned you or caused you great delight. You took time to write them down for one reason or another, note how they impact the questions above. (Looking back over emails or social media posts may serve as a similar form of mental stimulation.)

4.     1-3 hours: Utilize one of the above methods together with this visual reflection exercise of a clock. Having already made a list of important events, draw a clock adding numbers. The numbers will correspond to the months of the year (Jan = 1, Dec = 12). Start with 1/Jan. Use this as a prayerful exercise. Consider the highlights, breakthroughs, consuming thoughts or God’s delight in this specific period of time – January. Ask yourself a few questions like: Where were you as the clock turned last year? Who were you with? What has changed since January? What were you celebrating? What were you grieving?

Take your time and ask similar questions for each month. Allow the visual prompts as listed above to aide your memory. Draw or make note of the thoughts or feelings you want to capture within or outside of the clock. By the time you get through December you will be reflecting on recent days.

From there consider the integration of your examen with goal-setting or future-forward movement.

1. What Question(s) do I currently need answering from God?

2. What am I carrying with me into the New Year that I would like God’s healing around? 

3. What word, verse or song stands out to me right now as one to carry with me throughout the year?  

Consider who you want to share this with – your spouse, best friend, coach or team. What feels most significant to you from this experience? What support do you need going into this year?

Well done! Celebrate having created the time to listen to your head, heart, body and life!

Making Peace with 2020: A New Year's Visual Examen Exercise

At the turn of 2020, I wrote this reflection exercise and shared it here on the blog. It included a simple, transferable process to gain altitude and perspective on the year that had passed. Little did I, or anyone at that time know the disturbingly drastic change of events that the year ahead of us would hold. That, on top of our normal ebbs and flows of transition, grieves and losses, and major life change. Every single life would be complicated that much more by an increasing pandemic. As we’ve lived it, it has been mixed with racial injustice, poverty and already terrible tragedies around the world. 2020 seemed like a never-ending stream of bad news.

That is the predominant feeling most had, and yet the truth included moments of goodness, purpose, redirection and creativity amidst the pain and suffering.

As I personally wrap up an incredibly challenging year of global transition, in many ways I can’t wait to tear up the calendar and throw it away as soon as possible. While there will still be no ripping of calendars like my mom’s tradition growing up (see 2019 blog), this year’s calendar may have many pages repurposed for lack of use. And still, I long to glean from 2020 what is mine to learn. And to celebrate so many gifts that came in spite of it all.

Rather than remember the long days of confinement, the multiple cancellations of flights, all that didn’t come to be, I want to capture the full picture and instead focus on the good that may otherwise get lost if I don’t pause to remember that which came from my Covid year.

What became of your covid year? What successes did you experience? Where did you see personal growth?

Whether you’ve had an incredible amount of change or loss or a year full of amazing surprises (yes, I’ve spoken to some who have experienced 2020 that way); or while you may anticipate transition or more uncertainty on the horizon, the opportunity to take a deep reflective pause and make note of the year prior affords us space for both gratitude and perspective.   

I wrote this last year:  

While I love to reflect and process for hours, I’ve found the desired space is not always readily available in this season of life and during the holidays. I’ve found grace in giving myself the whole month of January, as of late. But even still a less comprehensive and intimidating reflection exercise was needed for me to be able to enter in. Here are a few carefully chosen questions and 4 suggested approaches, depending on time.    

“The opportunity to take a deep reflective pause and make note of a year full of surprises, affords us space for grieving, gratitude and perspective.”

4 Processing Options:

So while you may begin by just diving in, I find a few approaches aide my processing best. Begin by creating a quiet reflective space. Set aside distractions. Choose one of the following 4 visual prompts depending on how much time you can afford.

1.     15-30 minutes: Take a look through your calendar and make a list of the top events on your calendar. Let these events prompt your thoughts as you contemplate the answers to these questions.

2.     30 minutes-1 hour: If you take pictures, take a look back over the year’s pictures and allow the visual stimulus to jog your brain in reflecting.

3.     1-2 hours: Look back over your journal from the last year and note the important events and areas that concerned you or caused you great delight. You took time to write them down, note how they impact the questions above. (If you don’t journal or didn’t this year, looking back over emails or Facebook posts may stimulate some of the same thoughts).

4.     1-3 hours: Utilize one of the above methods together with this visual reflection exercise. Having already made a list of important events, Draw a clock with numbers corresponding to the months of the year (Jan = 1, Dec = 12). Starting with 1, meditate as you draw or write simple words that represent the highlights, breakthroughs, consuming thoughts or God’s delight of January the year prior. Where were you as the clock turned last year? Who were you with? What has changed since?

Top reflection questions:

1.     What are the most important events that took place in the last year? Who are some of the significant people?

2.     Where did I see the greatest breakthroughs (physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually)?

3.     What area(s) consumed my thinking and attention most?

4.     Where did I experience God’s delight?

Give yourself time to go through each month, draw or make note of the thoughts or feelings you want to capture within or outside of the clock. 

If you’re like me, doing this in a group, creates a unique dynamic of community and accountability. Come join The Way Between and a small group of others like yourself who want to process this hard year in one of the three, three-hour sessions available this 2020.

December 28 - 4-7pm MST,
December 30 - 10am-1pm MST,
January 5 - 10am - 1pm MST

Sign up by December 15 and pay just $25 using code ORGANIZEDIN2020

Register here: https://thewaybetween.churchcenter.com/registrations