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Jim Manney posted this on dotMagis a couple of weeks ago. The excerpt he posted is taken from Margaret Silf’s Book, Inner Compass (which is one of favorite books).
“If the worst happens, and the fog gets so thick that you really can’t move an inch, try using these tactics:
- Tell God, and maybe a human friend, how you feel, and ask them to pry you away from the negative force fields, even though you really want to stay where you are, in isolation.
- Force yourself to make contact with other people; go to town, walk around the market, make yourself a meal, phone a friend, even though you don’t feel like doing any of these things.
- Do just one thing that needs doing (perhaps some small practical task), and then enjoy the satisfaction of having done it. Give yourself a pat on the back; then look for the next “one thing.”
- Make a deliberate effort to reach out to the need of another person, maybe someone with similar difficulties, even though you really don’t want to know about anyone else right now.
- Pick up a project that really fired your imagination when you were in consolation. Let it refresh you with positive energy, even though you don’t actually want to do anything at all.
- Stay with the decisions you made, the dreams you dreamed when in consolation, even though you really feel like giving up on life.
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- Remember moments of consolation when God seemed close to you, and reenact them in your mind, even though you are tempted to dismiss them.”
How do you get out of the fog?
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Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction.
With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.
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