Forty Days on Being a Three by Sean Palmer

Author:Sean Palmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Enneagram three;Enneagram 3;Type 3;Type three;Enneagram performer;Enneagram achiever;Type 3 performer;Type 3 achiever;Type 3 journal;enneagram 3 journal;type 3 devotional;Enneagram;devotional;Enneagram devotional;enneagram daily reading;enneagram journal;enneagram spiritual practices;enneagram reflections;enneagram prayer;enneagram journaling prompt;enneagram quiet time;enneagram daily devotional;Road Back to You;Sacred Enneagram;Enneagram Daily Reflections;Suzanne Stabile
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2020-08-24T12:44:20+00:00

Read Matthew 3:13-17 aloud. Picture yourself going into the water alongside Jesus to be baptized. Imaginatively consider what you see. What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you smell? Imagine hearing the words from God about you: “This is my son/daughter, whom I love; . . . with him/her I am well pleased.”

ENTERING INTO SILENCE

GOD IS. The Genesis writer tells us that in the beginning, before anything was created, God existed. God has always been.

What was God doing before we came along?

Genesis says, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2 ESV). Not only that, but God already existed in community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Then God creates by saying, “Now let Us conceive a new creation—humanity—made in Our image, fashioned according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). God was existing in community before creation began, and then we were created in the image of the Triune God as beings. God was doing more than just resting. God was being. And since we are created in the divine image, as spiritual teachers like the Dalai Lama and Fr. Richard Rohr remind us, “We are human beings, not human doings.” So what if we practiced being and not doing?

Being silent. Being present. Being content. Being with others.

This could look like taking a vacation and leaving your laptop at home. Or ignoring social media. It could mean turning off the music or podcast on the way to work and sitting in silence. The proclamation that we are human beings and not human doings is a reality that sets us free from the pressures of productivity.

Believing we are human beings and not human doings is not intuitive, nor does it seem worthwhile. But this is where growth occurs. We have to practice being and not doing. We push forward until we achieve our goals and then maybe, just maybe, we will reward ourselves with a night off or a short vacation. We fight to disconnect from our phones or projects when our children are around (for example, I’m writing this while watching a movie with my daughters). All the while, we are missing something, the centering essential for our souls.

Very few spiritual practices connect us to the invitation to be and not do better than silence. Start with ten minutes, and set a timer so you are not looking at a clock or checking your phone. As you come to silence, bring your attention to your body. What is going on here? Check in from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes and notice anywhere that you are feeling tension or pain. Bring your attention to these areas and focus on moving your breath to them. As you bring your attention to your breath, try and allow a deep inhale to match your exhale. See if you can breathe in for ten seconds, allowing your lungs to fill completely with air, and then out for ten seconds, feeling your lungs retract.

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