Yesterday we gave our staff a half-day off…well sort of. All Sun Valley Staff, from top to bottom, were given a spiritual audit and simple instructions. Spend a leisurely restful morning doing something that fills you up. Sleep in, go for a hike, go on a motorcycle ride, hit a favorite coffee shop…whatever refreshes you. Then make time (about 45 minutes) to find a quiet place and answer 12 pre-designed questions on a spiritual audit. Following the spiritual audit, staff found a prayer guide that took an additional 45 minutes or so to go through. Finally staff made plans to meet a co-worker for lunch to discuss and debrief what God showed them through this experience. It was a simple way to invest in the team and reinforce that we want something for them, and not just from them. It was also a simple way to build a culture of authenticity among the team. Interested in the 12 questions from the audit? Check them out below…
1. Am I content with who I am becoming?
Every day I get one day closer to who I will ultimately be. Am I satisfied with who this will be?
2. Am I becoming less religious and more spiritual?
The Pharisees were religious; Christ is spiritual. Much tradition is religious, while relationship with Christ is spiritual.
3. Does my family recognize the authenticity of my spirituality?
They see the whole me. I would like to believe – and must believe – that if I am growing spiritually, my family will recognize it.
4. Do I have a flow-through philosophy?
Scripture says, “He that believes in me, out of his innermost parts will flow rivers of living water.” The freshness is in the flow. The mountain stream is fresh; the Everglades are stagnant.
5. Do I have a quiet center to my life?
Francois Fenelon said that, “Peace is what God wants for you no matter what is happening.” There is an important difference between the fast track and the frantic track. It is not God’s will for me to be frantic.
6. Have I defined my unique ministry?
Do I know what I can do effectively? The need is always bigger than any person can satisfy, and so my call is simply to handle the part of the need that is mine to do.
7. Is my prayer life improving?
Do my decisions have prayer as an integral part, or do I make decisions out of my desires and then immerse them in a sanctimonious sauce I call prayer?
8. Have I maintained a genuine awe of God?
Awe inspires, it overwhelms, it intimidates my humanness, it inspires worship. Awe isn’t learned; it’s realized.
9. Is my humility genuine?
Humility is not denying the power that you have but admitting that the power comes through you, not from you.”
10. Is my “spiritual feeding” the right diet for me?
We can’t all wear the same glasses, nor can we take the same medicine. Just so, we have different personality and character traits that need developing or dwarfing. That means we must find the spiritual feed that is right for us.
11. Is obedience in small matters built into my reflexes?
How do I handle disobedience? Do I give excuses or confessions? Do I foolishly either carry guilt or try to punish myself for what God alone can forgive…and will?
12. Do I have joy?
Joy is promised to me. Do I have it? If the relationship with Christ is intimate, I do.
This list came from Fred Smith, a business executive, author, and contributing editor of Leadership for more than 20 years.
Posted in Spiritual Formation
