Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
Looking Back: 12 Questions For Deeper Reflection From 2017

Looking Back: 12 Questions For Deeper Reflection From 2017

Last updated on: December 29, 2017 at 12:21 pm by Greg Richardson

Looking Back: 12 Questions For Deeper Reflection From 2017 2017-12-29T12:21:20-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

13982836004_b64f5eff21_z

Questions For Deeper Reflection

It can be helpful to look back over the past twelve months. We remind ourselves of our experiences and the questions and insights we have gained.

What are the experiences and ideas you remember most clearly from 2017? Are there insights or questions which have grown in you during the last twelve months? Who are the people who have inspired you this year? Are there books or films or conversations from 2017 which will make lifelong differences in you?

Each year I check to see what is reflected in my rearview mirror. What are the questions or insights from 2017 which spark our ongoing deeper reflection?

1 Moving Forward by Standing Still

We drive ourselves to move forward. Our economy, our culture are based in growing, making progress, moving forward.

It can be easy for us to miss, or dismiss, the essential significance of standing still.

Life is not about being driven to work harder. Life is about moving forward by standing still.

When will we move forward by standing still this week?

How much time will we be able to spend standing still today?

2 Spiritual Life is Like Rain After a Long Drought

Spiritual life can be unpredictable. Just when we think we have things sorted out, when we think we understand, everything changes.

We think life is going well, then it does not rain for a few years. It feels like spiritual life has dried up and blown away.

Are you in a season of spiritual drought, or spiritual storms?

When have you been shaken to your spiritual core?

3 Leadership Begins in Stillness

The first step toward leadership for me is finding the stillness within myself.

There was a long time when I was sure it was as chaotic in me as it seemed everywhere else. I was working as hard as I could to lead; whenever I started to rest, I became physically ill.

Stillness appeared to make me sick.

Discovering a still place in the middle of the tumult took a lot of hard work.

Where does our inner stillness lead us?

Who do you recognize as leading from inner silence?

4 Is Church Just For Old People?

Churches often seem to be a lot like museums. Some people wear robes at church, apparently because people started wearing them a long time ago. We use music which was written a long time ago and repeat old words like they were magic. Even church buildings seem to be old, filled with dark corners and old stained glass.

Questions about why things are the way they are usually get answered “We have always done it that way.”

Churches are often protective of traditions. Why would we want anything to be different?

How will you find people with whom you can talk honestly this week?

Where is your place of deep, sacred power?

5 Making Friends With Our Frustrations

Frustration ignites our reaction to either fight or flee. Some of us tend to explode in the direction of their frustration. Other people try to ignore what is frustrating them and hope it will go away.

Spending time with monks has introduced me to another choice. In addition to fight or flight, we can make friends.

Who is the most frustrating leader you know?

How will you make friends with your frustrations this week?

6 Spiritual Life is Not a Spectator Sport

Spiritual life can feel a lot like sports. People have their team loyalties. They gather together whenever their is a game to watch and cheer for their team. We all want to think we are on the winning side, that our team will prevail in the end.

Some of us do not really understand the game but go along sometimes for the tailgating.

How is spiritual life living in you today?

Where will you go beyond the ordinary, the expected this week?

7 Finding the Best in Other People

Ironically, recognizing it was not necessary to be perfect helped me find the best in myself.

As the benefits of imperfection took root in me I came to appreciate imperfection in other people.

I came to understand the expectation of perfection was a significant obstacle to finding the best.

How do we find the best in other people?

What would you describe as the best in you?

8 Transforming Pain into Wisdom

Spiritual life transforms our pain into wisdom without necessarily taking it away.

As we give our permission for spiritual life to work in us, or even cooperate with it, we are transformed. We often think about spiritual life in terms of growing or developing strength.

How is spiritual life transforming pain into wisdom in us this week?

Who helps you with the work of transforming pain into wisdom?

9 Getting Out of Our Own Way

It is as if we have already decided we are not worthy of sacred stillness. We apparently have a carefully constructed set of defenses to keep us away from its power.

Do we really have time to sit still right now?

Our challenge is not actually with sacred stillness. We long to be surrounded by its power and immersed in its love for us.

The challenge for us is getting in our own way.

How will we get out of our own way this week?

When will we take time to listen to sacred stillness today?

10 Living on the Edge of the World

It is not necessary for us to choose our next step. We stand, leaders and monks looking over the rest of the world. We do not need to take another step.

Here we spread our wings and soar away.

How are you living on the edge of the world today?

Where have you chosen to go from here? What is your next step?

11 Sustaining Curiosity

Spiritual life is both intimate and immense. We practice spiritual curiosity and are drawn to discover spiritual life we may have missed.

We open our eyes and are filled with sustaining curiosity.

How are you sustaining curiosity this week?

What questions have you asked today?

12 The Week at the End of the Year

We each have our reasons to avoid or delay starting something new. Now is the perfect time to look those reasons in the eye, deal with them, and begin.

We open our eyes and become aware there is no beginning and no end.

What beginnings does the end of the year bring to us this week?

How can what we complete this week be new beginnings for us today?

Who can even imagine the questions and insights waiting for us in 2018!

[Image by Infomastern]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and university professor, and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is [email protected].

Previous Post

December 26, 2017

Listening to Sacred Stillness: The Week at the End of the Year

Next Post

December 30, 2017 Practices From the Inside Out: How Do We Make a Fresh Start?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What natural event accompanied God's descent on Sinai?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Drought Windstorm Thunder and lightning Earthquake