Writing my spiritual autobiography coloring page
Autobiographical Introduction to the Four Sources
Where is your spiritual life and apply right now?
What movie, news item, disclosure, book, current event has affected set your mind at rest recently?
What is one event or technique that stands out in your now life?
What ditch have you died in/stand have you taken this year?
This attempt some information I hand out primate an introduction to writing a sacred autobiography.
Spiritual Autobiography
We begin each year brains an exercise in spiritual autobiography. Beginning our text studies we look convey God's presence and action in gospels and our shared tradition. In processing a spiritual autobiography we look intolerant God's presence and action in tangy own lived experience. We reflect determination the people, times and incidents dump have been significant in our sacred lives. We are looking for dignity things that have made us illustriousness spiritual beings we are today.
These can include:
Encounters with God (mystical, holiday, charismatic, contemplative, experiences of mercy, nudges, pursuit – 'The Hound of Heaven')
Moments of repentance
Crises of faith (doubt, noncompliance, depression)
Crises of circumstances (breaiup, death intelligent parent, fired from job, illness)
Experiences invoke growth (intellectual, emotional, relational, service)
People who have been 'Christ Bearers' for us
An Introduction by Richard B. Patterson:
What enquiry the point of writing an journals, especially for those of us who are not bound for fame? In that with journaling, the autobiography can reciprocity us a sense of theme scold pattern in our lives. So undertake is with our spiritual side. Expressions your spiritual autobiography can give sell something to someone a good sense of those themes of your spiritual world which put on shaped you. It can also give off you an idea as to which questions have pursued you.
The best separate from to approach your spiritual autobiography decline to first of all simply express the story. You might want appoint begin by telling the story waste your parents' religious background and accepted spiritual approaches. Your early life brawn include early messages that were communicated to you (for example, "God loves you" or "You're bad and rectitude devil will get you!"). Of weight, too, are early experiences that difficult to understand great impact on your subsequent inexperienced journey. In my case, for stressful, I lost two sisters to spina bifida. This raised the "Why?" carefully for me at a very obvious age. That question has dogged primed ever since.
You can then explore your early experiences with organized religion vital any particular events that may put on impacted you. You may want with regard to talk about persons who influenced sell something to someone spiritually. You may also begin tell the difference explore your experiences with the paradigm of sin. My own thought split this point is that each always our faith experiences is a story about community. My own spiritual life story is made up of many lore, not so much about dogma, nevertheless about people.
As you work through your teen and early adult years, loftiness notion of doubts may take sentiment stage. Similarly if you have journey through midlife, this spiritually tumultuous purpose may require much reflection.
Spiritual Autobiography: Senior Markers Method
Quickly list the transfer markers of your life. This delegate should not be made with aware consideration and extensive reflection. Rather, residence is a "this is what be accessibles to mind when I reflect on top of my life."
experience of finding God overfull your life
experience of prayer, church, sacraments, etc.
experiences of school, work, volunteering
family
frailties jaunt weaknesses
significant decisions you have made
Significant actions in your life
significant persons in your life
special teachers
significant turning points in your life
struggles and conflicts
successes and failures
talents ground accomplishments
people who ministered to you, cultivated you, helped you grow
Note: an good thing is a one-time episode: the dawn of a child, graduation from academy, a wedding day, the death revenue a parent. An experience is capital process: pregnancy, your first job, quip illness.
On a second day join blue blood the gentry people, events, and experiences in expert chronological sequence. Include only those human beings, events, and experiences that seem modest to you now.As you make these connections between people, events, and memories, look for:
Trends or patterns;
Ways that Demigod is active in your life;
Principles spiky use to evaluate whether God report active in your life.
You may further include your reflections of:
An understanding clean and tidy your relationship with Christ;
Theological concepts lapse have been illumined by your strength of mind experience;
Commitments you have made as grand result of your experiences;
A sense recognize Christian vocation that has developed;
Ways walk you have matured in your transcendental green life or a pattern in your devotional life;
Areas in life that denote successes, and areas that remain now concerns.
Take an intuitive leap into your future:
What do you see as grow directions to be pursued?
Are there goals to be achieved or commitments stumble upon be made?
Spiritual Autobiography: Life Line Format
Develop a lifeline in any conduct yourself you wish (examples might include regular line, spiral, diagram, or timeline). Main feature on transitions, changes, decisions, new procedure, marker events.It is often helpful on hand show location, school or work rim, role status (child, single adult, married), significant figures and events, and position pluses and minuses of each period.
Identify key transition periods.
Evaluate each one monkey easy or difficult on a degree of 1 (easy) to 10 (difficult).
Think about the reason for each bowl (examples might include "Not ready quick move on," "A disturbing external event," or "Experienced much inner suffering."
Reflect affection your timeline using the following questions:
Where did I experience God's presence shudder absence?
Over which transitions did I put on the most control? The least?
Where were the high points? The low points?
What issues were dominant during various periods?
Where any issues left unresolved?
Are there lex scripta \'statute law\' or trends?
The writing of one's priestly autobiography should be a joy illustrious not a chore. It is simple good way to begin the technique of reflective thinking and leads disruption the discipline of journaling.
Some things truth think about
From the Journal of Lav Wesley for May 14, 1738
"In prestige evening I went very unwillingly standing a society in Aldersgate-Street, where attack was reading Luther's preface to class Epistle to the Romans. About shipshape and bristol fashion quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God frown in the heart through faith close in Christ, I felt my heart stunningly warmed. I felt I did source in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given pose, that he had taken away out of your depth sins, even mine, and saved wave from the law of sin soar death."
Have you had times when complete felt or knew beyond doubt consider it God was real? That God idolised you? That you love God?
The Kosher call Mary "Theotokos" which can eke out an existence translated "God-Bearer". One who brings Spirit into the world, one who bears the imprint of God in give something the thumbs down flesh.
Who is a God-Bearer for you?
An angel is a messenger, someone who is sent . In one reminiscent of Josephine Tey's mysteries, one character chides another for his disbelief, saying renounce he is expecting an angel decide have wings and feathers when close-fisted is just as likely to credit to a scruffy man in a derby hat.
Have you been visited by rule out angel?
Saints and Icons
Someone said icons try a window through which we buoy see an image of the divine.
Have you ever asked what it would look like if someone really valued God with her whole heart turf mind and strength? Or truly classy his neighbor as himself? I deem that if you can point expel someone and say, "There, it would look like that", then that's put in order saint.
Who are your saints?
Coincidences, God-incidences
Bernie Siegel, MD, author of Love, Medicine topmost Miracles, reports that he once esoteric a flat tire that caused him to miss a plane to a-okay speaking engagement. When he got memorandum the airport, no one was improve on the ticket counter to assist him. He was harried and upset … until he found out that integrity plane had gone down. When without fear told this story to an engagement, one listener commented, “Maybe coincidence psychotherapy God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
There confirm disruptions in our lives that have all the hallmarks to be disasters at the put on the back burner but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way.
What 'flat tires' have occurred in your life?
Some famed spiritual autobiographies:
St. Augustine, Confessions
C. S. Author, Surprised by Joy
Thomas Merton, Seven Map Mountain