Signposts: Daily Devotions

Thursday, May 1

I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit...
—Psalm 77:6

“Who am I?” is a question we never outgrow. Whether in our teens or in our later years, we want to know what influence our past has had on our present, what motivates us, what our goals are. We want to know our own hearts. One means of responding to these questions is through very intentional self-examination, an approach that can take many forms—painting and drawing, playing or composing music, writing a spiritual autobiography, even creating a garden.

Fortunately, being a theologian isn’t a requirement for beginning this practice. Neither is undergoing some dramatic life-changing event—a near-death experience, for instance, a vision, a revelation about the meaning of our life. What is necessary is desire, and a willingness to admit that there is something stirring in our souls.

When we look at or listen to another person’s expression of his or her spirituality, what we’re likely to find is the account of someone slogging through the mud of everyday life. Indeed, those stories that affect us most strongly are seldom dramatic, seldom well-ordered, and never predictable. In short, they reveal the realities of most of our lives.

To examine one’s spiritual journey, in whatever form that takes, is to acknowledge that our inner lives do matter. It isn’t about self-obsession or ego but, rather, about becoming who we truly are. It’s a way of being faithful to the God who lives within us all.

O God, help me to learn that only in you will I find my true self, and only in you will I live my life to the fullest.

The Signposts for May are written by Susan Hanson and originally appeared on explorefaith.org in September 2004.