“How is it with your soul?”
It may be one of the most Methodist questions we can ask.
Not:
How busy are you?
How successful was your week?
How many things did you accomplish?
How does everyone else think you are doing?
But:
How is it with your soul?
That question requires something many of us rarely practice.
Attention.
We have to stop long enough to notice what is happening within us.
Where did I experience God’s grace today?
Where did I resist grace?
When did I love well?
When did I become impatient, proud, fearful, resentful, or self-centered?
Where might the Holy Spirit be inviting me to grow?
Christians have developed practices of prayerful self-examination for centuries. One of the best known today is commonly called the Examen, particularly associated with Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuit spiritual tradition.
The Examen is not historically a distinctively Methodist practice.
But the spiritual instincts behind it should sound remarkably familiar to Wesleyans.
Pay attention to grace.
Examine your life.
Confess sin.
Give thanks.
Notice the movements of your heart.
Ask God for help.
Respond faithfully tomorrow.
Methodists have been doing something very similar from the beginning.
Perhaps the Examen can help us recover an old Methodist conviction:
Grace should be noticed.
What Is the Examen?
The Examen is a prayerful review of one’s life in the presence of God.
Its classical form is especially associated with Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises.
It is not simply reviewing your day and deciding whether you were good or bad.
Nor is it Christian overthinking.
The purpose is discernment.
We bring our day into the presence of God and ask the Holy Spirit to help us see it truthfully.
Where was grace present?
What stirred gratitude?
Where did love flourish?
Where did sin distort our desires or actions?
Where did we experience joy, peace, anger, fear, temptation, compassion, or resistance?
Where might God have been speaking?
What needs confession?
What needs healing?
What might faithfulness require next?
The Examen is essentially the prayerful practice of paying attention.
And paying attention is essential to discipleship.
Wesleyans Already Have a Tradition of Self-Examination
Methodists do not need to pretend that John Wesley was secretly a Jesuit.
He wasn’t.
But Wesley took spiritual self-examination very seriously.
Long before Methodism became a worldwide movement, Wesley and the early Oxford Methodists practiced rigorous patterns of prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, Holy Communion, works of mercy, and examination of their lives.
Wesley kept journals.
He asked searching questions.
He examined how he used his time.
He paid attention to his motivations.
Later, Methodist class and band meetings created communities where Christians examined their lives before God and one another.
Wesley’s understanding of discipleship was intentional.
Christianity was not merely believing certain doctrines.
It involved watching over one’s life in grace.
The Examen therefore resonates naturally with the Methodist spirit.
The Difference Between Examination and Obsession
There is, however, an important warning.
Self-examination can become unhealthy.
Some Christians are already painfully aware of every perceived failure. They do not need another spiritual practice that encourages them to stare endlessly at themselves.
Christian examination must always happen in the presence of grace.
The psalmist prays:
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23, NIV).
Notice who does the searching.
God.
The Examen is not an invitation to perform spiritual surgery on ourselves.
We ask the Holy Spirit to show us the truth.
And the Spirit who reveals sin is also the Spirit who assures us that we belong to God.
Wesleyan self-examination should never become morbid introspection.
Its purpose is healing.
Prevenient Grace Means God Was There First
The Examen becomes especially interesting when viewed through Wesley’s doctrine of prevenient grace.
Prevenient grace teaches that God is already at work before we recognize or respond to that work.
Grace precedes us.
Grace awakens us.
Grace draws us.
Grace gives us the capacity to respond.
That means when we look back over our day, we are not searching for a God who may or may not have shown up.
God was already present.
The question is whether we noticed.
Perhaps grace appeared through a conversation.
A conviction.
An unexpected moment of peace.
A difficult person who revealed our impatience.
A need we suddenly noticed.
A Scripture that remained in our thoughts.
A moment when we felt prompted to encourage someone.
A beautiful sunset that awakened gratitude.
An interruption that became an opportunity to love.
The Examen teaches us to look backward so that we can become more attentive moving forward.
Give Thanks Before You Start Fixing Yourself
A healthy Examen begins with gratitude.
This matters.
Many of us approach spiritual examination by immediately looking for everything that went wrong.
Where did I fail?
What did I do badly?
What should I have done differently?
There is a place for those questions.
But grace comes first.
James writes:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17, NIV).
So begin by noticing gifts.
What was good today?
Who blessed you?
What made you laugh?
Where did you experience beauty?
What provision did you receive?
Where did you see kindness?
What ordinary gift might you have overlooked?
Coffee.
A conversation.
A meal.
A child’s laughter.
Work worth doing.
A friend’s message.
A moment of quiet.
A prayer answered.
A prayer not yet answered but still entrusted to God.
Gratitude trains us to recognize that life is gift before it is assignment.
Where Did I Receive Grace?
Next, look through your day with the eyes of faith.
Do not rush.
Walk through the day.
Morning.
Afternoon.
Evening.
Conversations.
Decisions.
Interruptions.
Emotions.
Where did you sense God’s presence?
Perhaps you did not consciously think about God at all in the moment.
That is fine.
You are looking again.
Maybe you now recognize that the patience you received during a difficult conversation was grace.
Perhaps an unexpected desire to help someone was grace.
Perhaps conviction after an unkind comment was grace.
Perhaps the strength to keep going was grace.
Perhaps the desire to pray was itself grace.
Thomas Oden’s treatment of grace in Classic Christianity reminds us that grace is not merely a theological concept we discuss. It is God’s gracious action toward fallen and needy human beings.
Grace acts.
The Examen trains us to become attentive to that action.
Where Did I Respond in Love?
For Wesleyans, holiness is fundamentally about love.
Love for God.
Love for neighbor.
Therefore, one of the most important Examen questions is simple:
Where did I love today?
Where were you patient?
Where did you listen?
Where did you forgive?
Where did you tell the truth?
Where did you serve?
Where did you practice generosity?
Where did you encourage someone?
Where did you resist temptation?
Where did you put another person’s needs before your own?
Do not be embarrassed to thank God for these moments.
They are evidence of grace.
Paul writes:
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13, NIV).
When we discover love growing within us, the appropriate response is not pride.
It is gratitude.
God is at work.
Where Did I Resist Love?
Then comes the harder question.
Where did I resist grace today?
Perhaps I was impatient.
Perhaps I participated in gossip.
Perhaps I ignored someone who needed attention.
Perhaps I was dishonest.
Perhaps I became defensive.
Perhaps I used another person to get what I wanted.
Perhaps I allowed anger to control my words.
Perhaps I was envious of someone’s success.
Perhaps I spent the entire day so distracted that I barely noticed God or neighbor.
This is where the Examen becomes deeply Wesleyan.
We are not merely cataloging rule violations.
We are asking about love.
Wesley’s understanding of sin and holiness reaches into the dispositions of the heart.
What was happening inside me?
Why did that comment make me so angry?
Why did I need to be recognized?
Why was I jealous?
Why was I afraid?
Why did I avoid that person?
Why was it so important that I win the argument?
The Holy Spirit sometimes uses a small moment to reveal a deeper attachment.
That revelation is grace too.
Confession Without Condemnation
Once sin is recognized, we confess it.
John writes:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NIV).
Confession is not groveling.
It is agreement with God about the truth.
I was wrong.
I did harm.
My heart was not shaped by love in that moment.
I need forgiveness.
I need healing.
I need grace.
Wesleyan theology gives us a wonderfully hopeful framework for confession because grace does more than pardon.
God forgives us, but God also transforms us.
The goal is not merely to feel better about yesterday.
The goal is to become more like Christ tomorrow.
The Examen and Sanctifying Grace
This is where the Examen becomes particularly valuable for Wesleyan discipleship.
Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit transforming us into the likeness of Christ.
But growth requires attention.
If the same pattern appears repeatedly in our Examen, we should notice it.
Why am I consistently impatient with this person?
Why does money produce so much anxiety in me?
Why do I repeatedly seek approval?
Why does criticism make me defensive?
Why do I continually avoid silence?
Why am I always too busy to pray?
Patterns reveal formation.
The Examen helps us see those patterns.
And once we see them, we can bring them deliberately into the means of grace.
We pray about them.
We search the Scriptures.
We receive Holy Communion.
We fast.
We seek Christian counsel.
We confess.
We practice works of mercy.
We ask the Holy Spirit to change us.
The Examen does not sanctify us.
God does.
The Examen simply helps us notice where sanctifying grace may be inviting our faithful response.
The Examen Belongs in Community Too
There is a danger in turning every spiritual practice into a private exercise.
Early Methodism resists that temptation.
Methodists watched over one another in love.
Class meetings asked Christians to speak honestly about their lives with God.
Band meetings went even deeper, creating spaces for confession, accountability, prayer, and encouragement.
Kevin Watson, in The Class Meeting, has helped recover this dimension of Wesleyan discipleship for contemporary Christians.
Imagine bringing the fruit of your Examen into Christian community.
“I’ve noticed I become resentful whenever this happens.”
“I realized I haven’t been making time for prayer.”
“I’ve noticed God giving me compassion for this person.”
“I think the Spirit may be calling me to do something.”
“I need prayer because I keep struggling with the same temptation.”
Now the Examen becomes more than reflection.
It becomes material for discipleship.
A Wesleyan Examen
So what might a specifically Wesleyan adaptation of the Examen look like?
It does not need to be complicated.
Set aside five to fifteen minutes near the end of the day.
Put away distractions.
Become quiet.
Remember that you are in the presence of the God who loves you and is already at work by grace.
Then move through these questions.
1. Become Aware of Grace
Begin with a simple prayer:
“Holy Spirit, help me see this day truthfully and graciously.”
Remember that God has been present before you noticed.
You are not summoning God.
You are awakening to God.
2. Give Thanks
Ask:
What gifts did I receive today?
Name them.
People.
Food.
Work.
Rest.
Beauty.
Laughter.
Provision.
Encouragement.
Strength.
Forgiveness.
Unexpected grace.
Thank God specifically.
3. Review the Day
Walk slowly through your day.
Where did you go?
Whom did you encounter?
What emotions arose?
What decisions did you make?
Where did you feel alive?
Where did you feel drained?
Where did you notice God?
Do not judge everything immediately.
First, simply notice.
4. Ask Where Love Was Present
Ask:
Where did I love God and neighbor today?
Where did you demonstrate patience, kindness, courage, generosity, faithfulness, mercy, or self-control?
Give thanks for every evidence of sanctifying grace.
5. Ask Where Love Was Resisted
Now ask:
Where did I resist God’s grace or fail to love?
Be specific.
Do not excuse yourself.
But do not condemn yourself either.
Bring the truth into God’s light.
6. Confess and Receive Grace
Confess what needs confession.
Ask forgiveness.
If your actions harmed someone, consider whether repentance requires an apology, restitution, reconciliation, or another concrete response.
Then receive God’s mercy.
Do not keep confessing something God has forgiven simply because you think feeling worse makes repentance more sincere.
Grace is grace.
7. Look Toward Tomorrow
Finally ask:
Where is God inviting me to grow tomorrow?
Perhaps you need to make a phone call.
Apologize.
Set a boundary.
Practice patience.
Give generously.
Spend time in prayer.
Encourage someone.
Avoid a temptation.
Rest.
Listen.
Then pray for the grace to respond faithfully.
Five Questions for a Busy Day
If seven movements feel like too much, use five questions:
Where did I notice grace?
What am I thankful for?
Where did I love well?
Where did I resist love?
What is God inviting me to do next?
That can take five minutes.
Do not underestimate what God can do with five honest minutes.
The Examen Is Not a Spiritual Scorecard
One final caution is important.
Do not turn the Examen into another method for measuring whether you are a successful Christian.
Wesleyans love methods.
The word “Methodist” did not appear by accident.
Give us a notebook, a schedule, five spiritual disciplines, and a checklist, and we can become dangerously happy.
But the method is never the point.
Grace is the point.
Jesus is the point.
Holy love is the point.
The Examen does not exist so that we can become better at analyzing ourselves.
It exists to help us become more attentive to God.
If your practice of the Examen leaves you constantly anxious, ashamed, and obsessed with your failures, something has gone wrong.
Christian examination should ultimately lead toward repentance, gratitude, freedom, hope, and love.
From Examination to Holy Living
The Examen becomes powerful when yesterday’s reflection shapes tomorrow’s life.
You notice your impatience.
Then you pray for patience.
You notice your distraction.
Then you create space for silence.
You notice your resentment.
Then you seek forgiveness.
You notice your neighbor’s need.
Then you practice mercy.
You notice joy.
Then you give thanks.
You notice grace.
Then you learn to look for grace again tomorrow.
Slowly, attention becomes formation.
And formation becomes holy living.
John Wesley wanted Methodists to be people who intentionally pursued holiness of heart and life.
That requires more than occasionally asking whether we are doing all right.
It requires the courage to look.
Not alone.
Not without grace.
Not with fear.
But in the presence of the God who already knows us completely and loves us enough to transform us.
So perhaps tonight, before turning off the light, put down the phone.
Become quiet.
Ask the Holy Spirit for help.
Look back over the day.
And ask:
How is it with my soul?
Then listen.
Grace may have been closer than you realized.
Printable Guide: A Wesleyan Examen
A Daily Guide for Prayerful Reflection
“Search me, God, and know my heart.”
Psalm 139:23, NIV
Set aside 5 to 15 minutes near the end of your day.
Find a quiet place. Put away distractions. Take a few slow breaths and remember that you are already in the presence of God.
The purpose of the Examen is not to judge your spiritual performance. It is to notice grace, tell the truth about your life, receive God’s mercy, and become more attentive to the Holy Spirit.
1. BECOME AWARE OF GRACE
Begin by remembering that God was present before you noticed.
Prevenient grace means God has already been at work throughout your day.
Pray:
Holy Spirit, help me see this day truthfully and graciously. Open my eyes to your grace. Show me where you were at work, where I responded to you, and where I resisted you.
Sit quietly for a moment.
Do not rush.
2. GIVE THANKS
Ask:
What am I thankful for today?
Think about ordinary things as well as extraordinary ones.
A conversation.
A meal.
Work.
Rest.
Laughter.
Beauty.
A friend.
An answered prayer.
Strength during difficulty.
An unexpected kindness.
A moment of peace.
Today I thank God for:
3. REVIEW YOUR DAY
Slowly walk through the day in your mind.
Morning.
Afternoon.
Evening.
Where did you go?
Whom did you encounter?
What conversations stayed with you?
What emotions did you experience?
Do not try to fix anything yet.
Simply notice.
Where did I notice God’s presence or activity today?
4. WHERE DID I LOVE?
Jesus calls us to love God and love our neighbor.
Look for moments when grace enabled you to love.
Where were you patient?
Kind?
Generous?
Courageous?
Faithful?
Merciful?
Honest?
Compassionate?
Self-controlled?
Attentive to another person?
Where did I love God and my neighbor well today?
Give thanks.
These moments are not reasons for spiritual pride.
They are evidence of grace.
5. WHERE DID I RESIST LOVE?
Now ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where you resisted grace.
Where were you impatient?
Selfish?
Dishonest?
Proud?
Fearful?
Resentful?
Unforgiving?
Harsh?
Distracted?
Indifferent to someone’s need?
Where did I fail to love God or my neighbor today?
Then ask:
What was happening in my heart?
Do not condemn yourself.
Simply tell the truth before God.
6. CONFESS AND RECEIVE GRACE
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NIV).
Pray:
Merciful God, I confess the ways I have failed to love you and my neighbor. Forgive me through Jesus Christ. Heal what is broken within me and continue your sanctifying work in my heart.
Then receive God’s mercy.
You do not need to punish yourself.
Grace is not earned by feeling sufficiently guilty.
If repentance requires a practical response, write it down.
Do I need to apologize, forgive, make restitution, seek reconciliation, or correct something?
7. LOOK TOWARD TOMORROW
Ask:
Holy Spirit, how are you inviting me to grow in love tomorrow?
Perhaps you need to:
Listen.
Apologize.
Rest.
Pray.
Forgive.
Encourage someone.
Set a healthy boundary.
Practice generosity.
Avoid a temptation.
Serve someone.
Spend time in Scripture.
Make peace.
What is one faithful response I can make tomorrow?
Five Questions to Carry With You
When you do not have time for the complete Examen, simply ask:
Where did I notice grace?
What am I thankful for?
Where did I love well?
Where did I resist love?
What is God inviting me to do next?
A Simple Wesleyan Reminder
Grace goes before you.
Grace meets you.
Grace forgives you.
Grace transforms you.
Grace sends you forward in love.
The purpose of the Examen is not to become preoccupied with yourself.
It is to become more attentive to God.
Look back with gratitude.
Tell the truth with humility.
Receive grace with confidence.
Go forward in love.
And keep asking:
How is it with your soul?
A Closing Prayer
Gracious God,
You have been present throughout this day, even in moments when we failed to notice you.
Give us eyes to recognize your grace.
Teach us to receive your gifts with gratitude, examine our hearts with honesty, confess our sins without fear, and recognize the places where your Spirit is producing holy love within us.
Search us and know us.
Reveal what needs healing.
Forgive what needs forgiving.
Strengthen what is good.
Redirect what has wandered.
Through prayer, Scripture, Holy Communion, Christian fellowship, works of mercy, and the daily work of your Spirit, continue to sanctify us.
And as we look toward tomorrow, give us grace to love you more completely and our neighbors more faithfully.
In the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
