By Kate Noonan
During each season here in the Northeast the beauty of change unfolds. Just now the trees are shifting from their summer green into glorious fall foliage. Nature is busily and inherently preparing for its next iteration. Our lives mimic this change as well. The long days of summer have wrapped up and sweater weather is upon us. As the world around us shifts we too are called to contemplate our next iteration.
God, knowing full well our human nature, is constantly calling us to change. This change is not necessarily drastic. We don’t need to sell all our possessions, giving all we have to the poor and begging for alms. We are not all called to be St. Francis of Assisi leaving a wealthy family to exist on the generosity of others. Instead our internal shift can be subtle and nuanced. This shift can help us open to the Grace of God which always surrounds us. Learning more about how we operate in the world, how we react to the situations and to the people around us truly opens the possibility of a more authentic life.
One technique I suggest to my spiritual directees is to begin the habit of noticing. All the busyness of the world is a distraction which isolates us from our connection to the Divine. We cannot change or even truly assess ourselves without spending some time gently and kindly paying attention to how we respond to our circumstances, our family, our colleagues or any aspect of our life.
This period of noticing leads to many ah ha moments. When you spend time noticing the good you can actively dwell in gratitude. You may feel frustration over a particular issue and by giving yourself the space to observe you might pause seeing the situation with new eyes. You may find an old heartache that still needs God’s love. While you practice noticing it is always appropriate, and perhaps a solace, to gently ask for God’s Grace as guidance in the season of self contemplation.
Noticing is an effective tool to assess where you are most uncomfortable in your world, where some change might be needed or to inhabit the beauty of your blessings. Although it may sound counterintuitive once you notice, with clarity, how you react to the world around you, you become more free. With practice you begin understanding the many ways your thoughts and habits might pull you away from your Maker. Alternatively you may see how often it is you call upon God guidance.
Our faith traditions have taught us who God calls us to be in the world. Yet, we easily stray away from this calling. This season can lead to change if we take the time to notice who and how we are in the world.
Centuries ago the Old Testament Prophet Micah wrote:
God has shown you, O human, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Keep this Bible verse on hand while pausing to notice your reactions to the world around you. We can ask ourselves: am I doing what the Lord requires? Am I acting justly? Am I walking humbly with my Maker? Notice who you are in the world.
As the season changes, take the opportunity to dwell with your interior self. The experience is both a fruitful and humbling endeavor. Self knowledge isn’t only about the self. Instead it is a gentle gateway to shed the trap of self and an opening to authentic service to others. A place where you can truly walk humbly with your God.
Kate Noonan
MAR Yale Divinity School
Pastoral Associate
Spiritual Director
noonankw@gmail.com
