Self-Audit

Currently the federal agencies of the United States of America are undergoing an extensive audit. By all appearances, it is revealing waste at a level that is difficult to fathom. For some this audit will be painful. It could be life-changing for others. No matter where your sentiment lies, we can probably all agree that no matter what, audits of any kind have the potential to be an uncomfortable process.  

This got me thinking. When was the last time I underwent a serious self-audit? When was the last time I took a deep look inside? The last time I reviewed the systems and checked for waste, deficiency, or delinquency?  

The year 2025 may have started with good intentions. Now we are in the doldrums of February. There is no sign of spring; nary a robin has been seen. Our best intentions have remained intentions. Our resolve is wavering. We may think: and now you want me to do a self-audit? What could be worse? Well, there is no good time for an audit so we may as well get it done before the snow melts.  

At Road Map to Morning, we like to use the PERMS outline when we can, as it helps keep us focused and oriented.  

Enough preamble. Let the audit begin.  

Physical 

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am to be a good steward of the gifts I have been given.  

• Am I caring for my physical body that shows respect to the Creator? 

• If I am healthy, do I understand that health equals wealth and am I grateful for it? 

• Am I aware of the difference proper nutrition can make on my physical, emotional, and mental well-being?

• If I am over 40, do I undergo a yearly physical and lab work? If I am the man-husband-head-of-the-home, I owe it to my wife and family to stay current with my health. If the audit reveals a deficiency here, I must take steps to rectify this.  

• And finally, how active am I? Do I understand that movement is medicine and that a body in motion stays in motion?  

Emotional  

God designed and created us with emotions for a reason. The six core emotions are joy, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise.  

• How emotionally literate am I? Do I recognize the basis for negative emotion such as fear and anger? 

• How mindful am I? Mindfulness is a learned skill that helps us work through negative emotion.  

• Triggers are teachers. Am I willing to learn from my emotional responses and make appropriate changes? 

• How in tune am I with my spouse’s or children’s emotional state? 

Relational  

Life is about relationships: how we relate to God, how we relate to our parents, our children, our fellow members at church, our employer, employees. According to one well-known study spanning over 80 years, the main predictor of health and happiness comes down to one word: relationships.  

One definition of audit includes the idea that an outside source comes in to assess and inspect. Sometimes in relationships we need outside help to answer the fundamental questions.  

• Am I living out an authentic connection with God, my family, and others near and dear to me?  

• Are there barriers hindering me from closer, more authentic, and vulnerable relationships? Perhaps it's time to sit down with those close to me and practice the difficult art of vulnerability. 

• Do I often seem to be in conflict in relationships? Am I open to asking myself the hard questions that may lead down some dark pathways? Gold is found in dark places. Treasures wait where we fear to tread.  

Mental 

Our mental state says much about our other states of being.  

• Have I recognized the fact that if I change the way I think, I change how I see and interact with the world and everything in it? 

• Do I find myself anxious about many things?  If so, where does that come from and what are the reasons for being overly burdened? 

• Am I able and willing to run my anxieties through the filter of truth (The Philippians 4:8 Principle) and leave them with God? The Holy Writ is not silent regarding worry, care, fear, and anxieties.  

• How involved am I in magical thinking, black and white thinking, catastrophizing, and worst-case scenario thinking?  

Anxiety seems to be a part of life, especially for a lot of people. I'm not saying that an audit will solve this. But perhaps it will lead us to a little deeper insight as to why we become anxious and what to do about it. 

Spiritual  

We live in a time of rampant idol worship. When we are depressed, discouraged, sad, lacking purpose, or bored, there is the tendency and temptation to seek out our idols. We may self-soothe, comfort eat, and outright commit sin to make ourselves feel better.  

The spiritual self-audit takes vulnerability and honesty.  

• How well am I controlling the high-risk potential idol in my pocket? How much time is spent doom scrolling? (The ancients had a pocket-sized Baal they could take with them wherever they went).  

• Am I seeking happiness at the expense of joy? 

• What is my perspective on life overall? Do I realize and appreciate the brevity of life?  

• What place does God play in my everyday operations? 

The reason we undergo audits is to ultimately improve processes, remove barriers to growth, and expose wasteful, harmful, and unnecessary practices. This particular audit is very brief and is only meant to serve as a spark to further personal inquiry, an inquiry that ultimately must take the long view. Where do you want to be in ten, twenty, or fifty years? That journey begins now and may require sacrifice, discomfort, and pain. And whatever that sacrifice, discomfort, and pain signify—seriously addressing an addiction, an unresolved past, an emotional dysfunction, health issues, or estrangement from the Divine—one thing is sure: you will be blessed, both here and in the life to come.  

Ben Friesen

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