An Examen for Create and Play
I like to think of the Examen as a way to help us just live with intentionality. It’s easy to let the days slip by without any reflection, one day just flowing into the next. But if we want the moments to last, we need to live with intentionality. This is where the Examen helps us. The Examen (from Ignatian spirituality) is a gentle, prayerful reflection on your day, noticing where you experienced God’s presence, gratitude, and invitation to growth. So I thought it might be helpful to have an Examen specifically for our create and play rhythm.
1. Become Still
Take a few breaths.
Invite God’s presence with you.
Maybe pray:
“Creator God, You delight in making all things new. Help me see where I joined You in creation today.”
2. Give Thanks
Reflect on moments of creative joy or play.
What felt life-giving, even in small ways?
When did you feel free, curious, or childlike?
What moment of beauty or imagination felt like a gift?
3. Review the Day (or Week)
Look back through your creative moments:
What did you make, explore, or notice?
Were there times you resisted play or held back?
When did you sense flow, connection, or surprise?
When did you feel blocked, pressured, or disconnected?
Try to see these moments as invitations — not successes or failures.
4. Notice God’s Presence
Where might God have been in your creative process?
Was there a moment you sensed delight, peace, or invitation?
What felt sacred, even if it was messy?
5. Respond and Rest
What invitation do you sense for tomorrow or next week?
How might God be inviting you to create or play with Him again?
End with rest, maybe just sitting quietly, or with a simple prayer like:
“Thank You, Creator, for the gift of creativity and play. Help me to create with You again.”
Optional Prompts (for journaling or reflecting with friends)
You can rotate a few of these each week:
What surprised me in my creativity today?
What felt playful or freeing?
What made me tense or afraid to try?
Where did I notice beauty?
What do I want to bring into my next creative moment?
Known, Seen, and Loved: An Examen
As I was thinking about the call to see, know, and love the children in the church, I realized these are calls and desires in everyone’s life, so I thought we could use a little examen that helps us see that we are seen, known, and loved, as well as see the call to see, know, and love others.
1. Presence
Take a deep breath. Ask God to help you see yourself and others with His eyes—eyes of love.
2. Gratitude
When today did I feel truly seen, known, and understood?
Who reflected God’s love to me today in a way that felt unconditional?
3. Reflection
When did I make space for someone else to feel seen and heard?
How did I show love to someone without expecting anything in return?
Did I miss an opportunity to notice or care for someone who needed it?
4. Stretching Love
How have I responded to people who are difficult for me to love?
What is one small way I can practice loving even my enemies, as Christ calls me to?
5. Invitation
Where do I sense God inviting me to grow in seeing, knowing, and loving tomorrow?
What grace do I want to ask for as I end this day?
An examen for the end of summer
The examen is a simple way of prayerful reflection—remembering, noticing, and receiving God’s grace in the ordinary. As summer comes to a close, take time to pause and look back over these months with God.
Remember
What moments from this summer stand out most vividly to me?
Where did I feel most alive, most myself?
Where did I feel God’s nearness?
Give Thanks
What gifts did summer hold for me, big or small?
Who am I especially grateful for this season?
How did play, rest, or joy find me?
Notice
Where did I feel weary, restless, or distracted?
Where did I sense God’s absence—or my own distance from God?
What have these moments taught me about myself?
Look Forward
What do I want to carry with me from summer into fall?
What might God be inviting me to let go of?
What blessing, prayer, or grace do I need for this next season?
Close
Rest for a moment in God’s love. Imagine God’s blessing resting on you as you step forward into what comes next.
An Examen for Kids: Talking to God about Your Day
This is a quiet time to talk with God about your day. You can close your eyes, or draw while you listen, or just be still. Let’s just notice what happened today together.
Who or what are you thankful for today?
Let’s thank God together!What brought you joy today?
Did you dance with a friend until you fell down laughing?
Did you sing a silly song about turtles wearing pants?
Did you laugh at a joke your friend told you at recess?
God is joyful with you.What made you sad today?
Did you stub your toe on an open door?
Did your friend say something that hurt your feelings?
Did you have to say a hard goodbye?
God is sad with you.What excited you today?
Did you learn something new about something you love?
Did your teacher tell you that you did a great job in school?
Did you get a new pair of sneakers?
God is excited with you.What scared you today?
Did you have a bad dream that made you scared?
Did you have to answer a hard question in front of the whole class?
Did a dog bark and scare you when you weren’t expecting it?
God is here to comfort you.What made you angry today?
Did you get in a fight with a friend?
Did you get an answer wrong that you thought was right?
Did someone take your favorite toy?
God is big enough to hold your anger for you.Where did you notice God today?
Did you see something beautiful in creation?
Did someone comfort you when you cried?
Did you share a snack with someone who didn’t have one?
God is with you every moment.What do you hope for tomorrow?
Let’s tell God your hopes together.
*My house has only preteen+ at this point, so we have shortened this to just “high/lows” (and sometimes we include “buffalos” - just something funny/random) at dinner time. It’s a way to be engaged in noticing with each other. We even have a special high/low dance, which we are assured is very “cringe”.
Monthly Examen: A Prayerful Pause
Each month, I am going to invite a time to pause, reflect, and pay attention to the presence of God in our lives, to our emotions, and to the movement of grace in ordinary moments. The five steps of St. Ignatius’s Examen offer a gentle framework for this kind of reflection:
Become aware of God’s presence.
Review the day with gratitude.
Pay attention to your emotions.
Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
Look toward tomorrow.
Let’s take a few quiet minutes together and look back over the past month.
When did you feel closest to God?
Was it in the middle of joy or celebration? Or perhaps in a moment of grief or struggle? Maybe it came through Scripture, through creativity, through time in nature, or in the quiet of an ordinary afternoon. There’s no wrong answer. Simply pause and notice.
When did you feel most like your true self?
Was there a moment when something deep inside whispered, This is what I was made for? Try to remember that feeling: what you were doing, who you were with, how it felt in your body.
Were there moments when God felt distant?
When you longed for Him but couldn’t sense His nearness? Hold those moments gently. Bring them to God now. Ask Him what He wants you to know about His presence, even when it feels hidden.
What are you grateful for from this past month?
Is there a particular day, moment, or even a small detail that fills you with warmth or thankfulness? Offer that gratitude back to God.
Where do you need help right now?
Is there an ongoing struggle or quiet ache you’re carrying? Invite God into that place of need. You don’t have to have the right words, just be honest.
What are your hopes for the month ahead?
Tell God what you’re longing for, dreaming of, or simply what you need. Even though He already knows, there is something powerful about naming those hopes in prayer.