For the past several years I have kept a Journal of Consolation & Desolation. I use it to reflect on the interior movement of my heart. The human heart is never static; It is always moving somewhere. But where?
Am I moving more toward doubt, fear, and anger? Or am I moving toward greater faith, hope, and love? Keeping a journal helps me to track the movement of my heart across the days, months and years.
Keeping a journal can be a spiritual practice. In fact, anything can become a spiritual practice—walking the dog, watching the evening sunset, walking the beach, jogging, swimming, paddling, sitting quietly in the morning sun, practicing “walking meditation”—anything can become a spiritual practice when it is done regularly and in the name of Jesus.
Consolation: A person is in a state of consolation when they are moving towards God’s active presence in the world. We know we are moving in this way when we sense the growth of love or faith or mercy or hope. For instance, if I am becoming kinder with people, and I experience this increase in kindness as life-affirming and indeed Christ-like, I am in a state of consolation.
Consolation does not mean that I suddenly feel constantly happy or at peace. Consolation can hold many emotions and experiences. I might feel negative pressure from others, or I may grow agitated because I’m learning a new skill that is challenging me. But if I sense in my spirit that I’m on the right path, this spiritual reality consoles me whether my day is bumpy or smooth.
Desolation: A person is in a state of desolation when they are moving away from God’s active presence in the world. We know we are moving in this way when we sense the growth of resentment, ingratitude, selfishness, fear, and doubt. For instance, if my outlook becomes increasingly gloomy and self-obsessed, or my heart is filled with fear (for me, this often happens when I consume too much media reports of how horrible the country is becoming, or the latest spewing of venom in public) then I am in a state of desolation. The point is that God does not intend for us to live in desolation; I am being led away from God by other influences.
Like consolation, desolation can hold many emotions and experiences. A person might seek to alleviate the discomfort of desolation by drinking too much or seeking distraction through more work or more social outings. The food and drink and the constant activity might feel really good, but if they are not leading me to greater peace or joy or aloha, I remain in desolation. We might call these “false consolations.” False consolations may be a form of evasion—a way for me to evade the true consolation of God’s presence.
Margaret Silf (note her simple diagram here) has compiled two simple lists to help us try to determine if we are in consolation or desolation.
Desolation
- Turns us in on ourselves
- Drives us down the spiral ever deeper into our own negative feelings
- Cuts us off from community
- Makes us want to give up on the things that used to be important to us
- Takes over our whole consciousness and crowds out our distant vision
- Covers up all our landmarks [the signs of our journey with God so far]
- Drains us of energy
Consolation
- Directs our focus outside and beyond ourselves
- Lifts our hearts so that we can see the joys and sorrows of other people
- Bonds us more closely to our human community
- Generates new inspiration and ideas
- Restores balance and refreshes our inner vision
- Shows us where God is active in our lives and where God is leading us
- Releases new energy in us
So, how is it with your spirit today? Are you experiencing consolation or desolation? Feel free to use the Comment section below. Your comment may help someone else to discern the movement of their own heart today!