What is Your Pattern of Growth?

Many times, I have found myself ending the year making a list of all the things that happened, focusing on what I got done and what I was able to do. I’ve done this since I was a child, checking off my accomplishments, giving order to my otherwise chaotic family life.

However, this year, I find my attention turning towards what I was asked to let go of this year–from relationships, to perceptions of myself. It’s been a year of what I call “emptying out.” I wrote about one story of loss and healing in a recent blog post.

The path of emptying out is just as important as the path of filling up. The writer and spiritual teacher Richard Rohr reminds us how the infilling and the outpouring are a constant flow. “Living truthfully and in harmony with the infilling and outflowing is the pattern of love in the universe.” (Richard Rohr, Essential Teachings on Love)

I invite you to pause for a moment, and in prayer, and the sincerity of heart, reflect upon this past year:

• Where did you experience the need or call to let go?
• Where did you experience the need or call to fill up?

Perhaps you’d like to spend some quiet time pondering these things, and see where the Spirit is calling you.