Today, we enter our last week of our restlessness series. Last week, we discussed the power of our inner chapel serving as a balm to our restlessness. This week, let us turn to other remedies for our restlessness.
Throughout the series on restlessness, we discussed various causes to the restlessness we feel. No matter the cause, God is working through our restlessness to support us to take further steps forward on our path of faith. Once we have acknowledged our restlessness and the source of it, we can take steps with God’s help to calm our restlessness and find God-given peace.
Remedy: Moving God to the center of our lives
When we feel the cause of our restlessness is God’s desire for a relationship with us, a remedy is to simply start showing up in prayer to spend time with God. Through this time together in our inner chapel God helps us move God to the center of our lives. This doesn’t happen over night or in one fell swoop, but over time. Slowly, God frees us from our disordered attachments and brings us to a place of spirtiual freedom with our live centered around God.
Remedy: Acting differently
When we identity the source of our restlessness is due to a choice me made, something we said, or a way we acted that makes us feel guilty, remorseful or sorrowful, our invitation is to act differently. If we sin, we are called to not sin and make a different choice. Or perhaps, we said something that we regret, we might find to calm the restlessness we need to ask for forgiveness, of ourselves, of God, and maybe of the person we hurt, and say we are sorry. Inner peace will come when we lived in a way that honors who we are and our relationship with God.
Remedy: Saying “yes” to the invitations of God
If our restlessness is stemming from our “no” when God is clearly inviting us to say “yes”, then the disquiet within us will subside when we say “yes” instead of “no”. Maybe God is birthing a new call within us, and while we notice the nudge towards a new “yes” in our life, we are saying “no” with our words and our actions. The gift of the restlessness is helping us know God’s step forward for us. Restlessness often calms when we step forward in faith and say “yes” to what God is asking of us.
Remedy: Living an examined life
Many of you know my fondness of the Examen. This prayer tool is my rudder and guide to discerning the movements of the spirits in my life. It is a prayer tool that helps me notice the restlessness within me, to dig down to the root cause of it, and to know the way to respond to the restlessness.
The Examen is not to figure out the causes of restlessness on our own. God is with us, giving us God’s eyes, ears, and heart to notice the restlessness within and to discern what God is saying to us about it.
If you haven’t prayed the Examen before, I invite you to give it a try using one of the resources below.
Go Deeper?
- Examen Resources:
- Scriptures for Support:
- Ez 34: 11-12, 15-17// I myself will give them rest
- Romans 11: 25-29//God’s Irrevocable Call
- Psalm 32//Psalm of Contrition
Wednesday, November 29, 2017: Loyola Institute for Ministry Webinar
I am excited to be offering a webinar through the Loyola Institute for Ministry called “Advent: Anticipating Encounter, Awaiting Accompaniment”! I graduated from the LIM program in 2008, and I credit this program for helping me deepen my understanding of Ignatian spirituality and ministry. This webinar reflects on key themes in Pope Francis’s teaching through the lens of Advent. Join me at 8PM CST on November 29, 2017!
Advent Evening of Reflection for Women:
December 11, 2017, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Making Room for God’s Greatest Gift
Mary accepted and made room for Jesus in her life. We too, can experience Jesus’ presence in our daily lives. Pause in the midst of Christmas preparations to join women from across Baton Rouge for a night of prayer, fellowship and reflection.
Registration is free. Click here to register!
Becky Eldredge
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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