Most Christians are acquainted with a conscience exam that helps them prepare for confession.
This Spiritual Questionnaire is similar, but focuses on a particular virtue. Reflecting on one positive habit at a time can help us to dive deeper into how we live our Christian faith, both from the negative and the positive angles. The goal is to help us live better because we’ve taken time to think things through.
Self-knowledge is necessary in order to grow.
This exercise is best done slowly, to examine each area closely. It is recommended to write out answers to each practical question in a spirit of prayer. The act of writing our thoughts down will slow us down and force us to reflect deeper. This also provides us a way to review our answers later in prayer.
The questions will range from understanding our current struggles with sin and ways of overcoming bad habits, to highlighting good habits and ways to encourage them to grow so that they become part of our natural daily routine and behavior.
Since prayer is key to all spiritual growth, a few questions will analyze how well we rely on God for His strength, and how we could practice this virtue during our times of prayer. This helps us set our standards according to God’s plans for our lives.
With this regular practice of taking time to think about our attitudes, and recognizing the motivations that trigger our choices, we will begin to see more clearly God’s plans for our lives.