Contemplative Curiosity: Praying Our Experiences
A Spacious Spiritual Practice
For this practice, settle into your space for 10-ish minutes of presence. Let’s connect to the present moment by noticing what comes up as we read these selections. We aren’t approaching these words with the intention of an outcome, though it’s possible something will stick with us. This invitation is to enter in and notice what it stirs in you.
Practice Instructions (use them or skip them!):
What is it like around you in this moment? What is it like inside?
Read the following quote (either silently or aloud) 1-2 times. Imagine the words being poured out into your hands. See if a couple of words linger that you can turn toward with curiosity.
What do you notice? Are there words or phrases that linger? Or perhaps you have a felt sense of the entire quote.
Read the quote again.
What do you wonder? As you hold what you noticed, or the entire quote, is there a question that arises in you? Is there a cascade of questions? Sometimes writing these down helps us gently excavate our inner landscape.
Bookmark it. Is there a word, phrase, or question you’d like to carry with you (in a journal, to explore in a conversation with a friend, to spiritual direction)?
Savoring & Appreciation. You took some moments to be present. This was the invitation. Whether or not you experienced something that sticks with you, consider savoring the experience.
Contemplate the image. You may try a similar exercise with the image above. What do you notice? What do you wonder? Are you drawn to the image? Do you resist it?
“Praying our experiences means being open to seeing ourselves as we are and to seeing our personal history—as it is known to the Lord. This requires an awareness and an honesty that will root us in our actual daily life. It will lead us to talk to God about ourselves because we are in God’s hands, and it will challenge us to growth through purifying self-knowledge. In other words, we recognize the Divine within ourselves rather than engage in some sublime and otherworldly activity of imagining God out there.”
“Saint Paul spoke of glorifying in his weaknesses. He had reached a depth of self-knowledge that permitted him to understand that his righteousness consisted not in freedom from weaknesses and sin but in being able to say yes to his entire self and his whole self.”
“The Lord, as we know, wants the offering of ourselves. We sometimes fail to see, however, that this offering is not made in some abstract way with pious words or readings but is rooted in the acceptance of the concrete details of our life. The offering of ourselves can only be the offering of our lived experience because this alone is ourselves. In our prayer we take ourselves into our hands and offer to God our whole self—our strengths and weaknesses. As Teresa would say so simply, ‘This path of self-knowledge must never be abandoned.’”
If there’s resonance for you in these quotes, you may enjoy a prayer I wrote inspired by my experience with Schmidt’s book.
Longing for some company or gentle guidance as you listen for wisdom and explore new ways of engaging with your soul? Kirsten offers spacious accompaniment and trauma-informed spiritual direction. I’d love to hear what’s stirring in you and meet with you for a free exploration session.
