Going Deeper – 05.10.2020

Posted on May 9, 2020 by - Going Deeper

GOING DEEPER

05.10.2020 | JUST BE | Wk 3: “Just Be Aware”

Join the community and go deeper with this Bible study.

 

Breaking Ground

What is the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done (try to think of a fun example, if possible)?

 

The Dig

Begin by discussing the idea of being self-aware. What does it mean to be self-aware? Why is it important to the spiritual life?

Read Ephesians 4:17-24. 

Paul begins by instructing his readers to remember who they used to be. 

What role does reflecting on the past play in becoming more self-aware? Do you do this often in a productive way?

In this section, Paul describes a person who has become unaware of & even uncaring of their internal brokenness/unhealth, as well as how the behavior it produces impacts others. 

Share a story about a time when a part of your internal brokenness (emotions, thought patterns, etc.) led you to hurt someone without you being able to realize it in the moment.

What happened? What weren’t you seeing? What led you to see what you were doing? 

Paul instructs us to deal with these parts of us by:

  • Committing to rigorous self-reflection
  • Growing in our capacity to be self-aware in the moment
  • Working to deconstruct the underlying patterns fearlessly
  • Beginning to be remade in who we are (reconstruction)

Which part of that process do you find the hardest to do? Why? 

Close by reflecting on the Examen as laid out on Sunday. The Daily Examen calls for Five Steps:

  1. Acknowledge God’s presence & ask for guidance
  2. Review the day for gratitudes 
  3. Review the day for shortcomings 
  4. Choose one feature of the day & pray for it
  5. Look forward to tomorrow 

What is something you are grateful for this week? 

Where did you have an emotional response to a situation that went beyond what was necessary this week? Why? 

What is one thing you can learn from that to change how you respond next week? 

Where do you currently need to grow in your capacity to be self-aware? 

Close with prayer.

 

Getting Out of the Hole

Take time this week to practice the discipline laid out in Sunday’s Scripture – The Daily Examen. 

  1. Acknowledge Gods presence & ask for guidance
  2. Review the day for gratitudes (be specific!)
  3. Review the day for shortcomings – here are some guiding questions:
    1. Where did I experience high emotions? What happened? How did I respond & why? 
    2. Where did I experience strong anger, jealousy, resentment, or embarrassment? What happened? How did I respond & why?
    3. Did I stop at any point & feel still? If not, why not? 
  4. Choose one (just one) short-coming you identified & pray over it
  5. Close by looking forward to tomorrow (How can I do better tomorrow? Do I need to make any amends? What’s one step of growth I can take with this new awareness?)

Journal about your experience with this practice. Note any realizations you discover or repeated patterns. Share your experience with your growth group next week!

 

Additional Resources*

The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun

Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating

The Naked Now by Richard Rohr

 

Coming Up This Week:* 

Sunday, May 17: Join us for the second week of our series Just Be, where we will be looking at how to pray for others. 
* Please see mye3.org for details.