Experiment with Us!
Take a quick moment, right now, to think about your heart. Feel your heart. How does it feel? Would you say that it is open, soft, and loving? Or is it closed off in some way or another? That’s all you need to do. You have just conducted your first step in the experiment. It’s that easy. This experiment is about awareness. That’s it. Pay attention to your heart in your various interactions as you go about your day, your week, your month. Be mindful of its state, and how that affects your own sense of the Spirit, as well as how you interact with others. Just pay attention; that’s all you have to do.
That’s what sister Virgina H. Pearce & her stake Relief Society commiteee set out to do in their “Awareness Experiment,” that she has so beautifully documented in her enlighteningly inspiring new book A Heart Like His. As Michelle lists in her review, the only steps to the experiment are, in Sister Pearce’s words:
1. To be more aware of the condition of our hearts and with that awareness to keep them more open toward others.
2. To do this in the normal course of our lives, in other words, not put any extra activities into our day – no extra visits, no preparing of casseroles, etc. Above all, people were not to become “projects,” and our lives were not to be filled with more things to do!
3. Notice the Spirit, and be willing to come together and honestly report what happened or hadn’t happened (p.9, emphasis hers).
Honestly report–that’s what we’ll be doing on here. Starting today, every two weeks, we will have an “Experiment” essay looking at another aspect of just what an open heart is and just what it can do for us and those in our individual spheres of influence.
Most of our inspiration for these essays will be taken from A Heart Like His, to which I also must add my delighted recommendation. You do not need a copy to join us in the Experiment Circle on here, but I can’t recommend the book enough. The insight and context, quotations and anecdotes that Sister Pearce shares, do come together into something entirely new, something simple yet revolutionary, something that can change how you think about your own heart and thereby change your entire world.
So, sisters, can you pay attention to your heart? If so, join us! Make an easy commitment–sound off in the comments, and we’ll see you in two weeks for that honest report.
June 20th, 2006 08:01
I’ll join you
June 20th, 2006 08:37
Do I need to get a temporary gender change to try this?
I have been having a very tough time at work ‘getting along’. This may be a good thing to try.
June 20th, 2006 10:26
Brethren are welcome, Eric; no gender switch required. To be straight, EVERYONE is welcome. It’s too good for any group to keep to themselves!
June 20th, 2006 10:44
Woohoo! Count me in!! (Eric, I’m glad you asked that question! This is truly something we all can benefit from!)
June 20th, 2006 13:10
I need the experiment, I’m joining.
June 20th, 2006 15:47
Naiah,
Is it awful that when I read “Feel your heart. How does it feel?”, the first thing I think is, “warm, squishy, and pulsating?”
No, seriously, this is a good idea. I’m game.
June 20th, 2006 16:04
Serenity Valley-
I know I’m not Naiah, but my first thought was “hey, that’s better than hard and cold!”
June 20th, 2006 16:34
Count me in, too. This sounds like a wonderful blend of the practical and the spiritual. I hope I will become better at recognizing and resisting temptations, as well as being more sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit to be an instrument for good in the Lord’s hands.
I think I definitely want to get the book, to see how this experiment played out in the lives of others.
But the reports and discussion here on APoF will be especially interesting, because we can interact with one another.
June 20th, 2006 20:30
SV,
It’s funny, but I did actually consider writing it from that angle! I realized, though, that the humor might have detracted from my point, and so I let it go. I *so* love that I’m not the only one who thought of that, though!
June 21st, 2006 06:42
Just wondering, what happened to the “Prayer of Faith” headline at the top of the page? It says “Roxcy” now. Has the name of this blog changed and if so what is Roxcy?
June 21st, 2006 07:45
Karen, the name is changing, along with several other things–just cosmetic stuff. The content, and the same faithful, celebratory spirit willl not change, though. “Roxcy” is Eliza R. Snow’s middle name. You may have noticed that it’s been in the URL for the site all along. I’ve just published a PSA on it. If you have any further comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to email me directly at naiah at synthian d’org.
June 22nd, 2006 08:46
[…] [I added the above quote as an afterthought to my original draft of this article…in part because I think what he says ties in so well with the experiment we have been invited to do together here — an experiment designed to help us love others and feel the Savior’s love more in our lives!] […]
June 22nd, 2006 23:58
I am assuming we can report along the way (?). One of the key things I am realizing is that it doesn’t really do me much good to open my heart if I am doing it so I can get something in return from that person. I know I have had an issue with being what I call “externally focused” for most (if not all) of my life. I became keenly aware of this through some really challenging personal experiences last year, but this experiment is making me realize that I have a long way to go! The reason for me to open my heart is so that, little by little, my heart can be changed — not so I can feel “positive reinforcement” from people’s responses. Because, frankly, sometimes that doesn’t happen. And one of the messages I got from the book is that opening our hearts can benefit us regardless of how the other person responds. What matters is that my heart is open, so the Spirit can be more welcome to do His thing on my heart. Easier said than done for someone like me.
I also often find it much easier to open my heart to strangers than to my own family. I am trying to figure out what the triggers are for that “closed-heartness” with those to whom I should be most open-hearted. (I believe this was mentioned in the book as well.) Anyone else find this to be the case? If so, have you found anything that helps?
June 23rd, 2006 07:07
I finally read the book yesterday, and I also noticed that the sisters in the original experiment had reported that it was sometimes harder to overcome “closed-hertedness” with family members. Perhaps we are more likely to have been hurt by those closest to us, and thus are more apt to have built defensive barriers into our relationships. Overcoming these barriers is something that I have been working on for years, fortunately with some success.
My sister and I were discussing the book, and we decided that we had actually been trying to implement a similar kind of open-heartedness for sometime. Although we are still evolving, and have a long way to go, we have definitely seen joy and peace come into our lives from our changed attitude.
June 23rd, 2006 09:55
Naiah, thanks for the info!
Michelle, I also have noticed that it is harder for me to have an open heart with my family. I think it is easier to be hurt by those closer to you, so we sometimes are reluctant to let ourselves be open to that!
June 23rd, 2006 10:41
Strange irony, that family thing!
RoAnn, when I read the book, I thought, “Yeah, I’ve been trying to do that.” But the past couple of weeks, I’ve been feeling pretty yucky physically, and I’m finding that’s a time when my heart really slides back and closes up. I need to figure out how to open up even when I don’t feel good. *Sigh*
June 26th, 2006 13:36
I kept myself from jumping in right away, thinking that I should get the book for myself to do it more perfectly. I realize now that the guidelines above are sufficient to experiment–it was just me that I deemed inadequate.
I’m in =)
June 26th, 2006 14:26
I had a cool experience with this last week. I was working with some women on a project. Most of them I hadn’t met previously, but with one I had exchanged some emails. When I first met her, I felt that “wall” kind of feeling from her, and was disappointed. But, I kept my heart open and really just kept trying to reach out, be friendly, etc. She ended up warming up and we had a really enjoyable time getting to know each other. A couple of the other ladies didn’t ever really open up, but it was still worth it for me to keep trying to be “open-hearted.” And now I have a new friend in that first woman I mentioned. Yeah!
June 27th, 2006 10:37
OK, just had to add another experience. I was on the flip side, on the receiving end of someone else’s open heart. I went visiting teaching. Our sister opened up and shared a very sacred experience (kind of a mind-blowing one) that had happened in her family. She’s usually a very private person, but in her opening up like that, we all basked in the Spirit in an amazing way. I’m really starting to see how so many lives can be blessed as we open up our hearts!
July 5th, 2006 15:28
[…] To all of you who decided to participate in our experiment circle: How is it going? How is your heart? Is it more open? Have you noticed a difference in your life? We are so excited to hear about your experiences, feelings and insights! […]
July 10th, 2006 09:01
[…] Her insights are not only heartwarming, they are also helpful. Reminiscent of Sister Pearce’s experiment, which we are exploring here, she says: “The great thing about seeing the world and each other this way [emphasizing the positive aspects] is that it doesn’t take any more time. It doesn’t take an ounce more energy. You don’t have to engage more personal resources. You just have to focus in a different way” (p. 31). […]
August 6th, 2006 17:50
[…] 2) What might we be able to do–as parents, relatives, friends, neighbors, and brothers and sisters in the gospel–to help those with holes in their hearts and lives find love in the right places (or to help prevent holes in the first place)? Following are some ideas I have had: We can develop–and share–our own testimonies of God’s love for us and of our eternal worth. We can practice and exemplify looking first to God for love and support, not to external sources for reinforcement and approval. We can be aware of those who might be “at risk” because of difficult situations in their lives. We can open our hearts to those around us who have such challenges. (This isn’t always easy, because sometimes such people can be harder to love.) We can do all within our power (while seeking for heaven’s help) to make our homes places of love, security, and peace, where the Spirit can dwell and fill the hearts of those in our families. If we are married, we can do all within our power to nurture and strengthen our marriages. If we have children, we can nurture, love, and teach them gospel truths. We can use the Proclamation to the World on the Family as a guide in all of our family-related efforts. We can find ways to strengthen others’ marriages. That may sound like a weird concept, but this article has some interesting ideas. […]