Evening review in three words: thank you, sorry, tomorrow

Some days end badly: an argument left unsettled, a word you regret, a worry about tomorrow. If you fall asleep with all that, you will find it intact when you wake up. This quest invites you to an evening habit in three movements: thank you, sorry, tomorrow.

What it looks like in your day

Before sleeping, settle in for a few minutes, with no screen. Then go through your three words, speaking to God:

1. Thank you. Go back over your day and spot three or four blessings: a meal, a conversation, help received, a moment of peace. Say them quietly. Starting there changes the color of the rest.

2. Sorry. Ask yourself: "Where did I hurt someone? Where did I disobey my conscience?" Name one or two failings, simply. Say: "Sorry, Lord." If making amends is called for (a message to send tomorrow), note it. And if it is the other way around, if someone hurt you, lay it down: "I hand it over to you."

3. Tomorrow. What awaits you tomorrow, you hand over to God: a meeting, a decision, an appointment. Say: "Tomorrow is yours." If a worry returns, it needs to be laid down one more time.

This exercise is not long: five minutes. It differs from a simple review by its form as prayer and by its ending: you fall asleep with trust, not with a list of things to settle.

If you are in a hurry, one word for each movement is enough. If you are shy, you can write it in a notebook. If you share your room, you can do it in silence, with your eyes open.

What the Bible says

Paul, in the letter to the Ephesians, gives advice that is almost an evening program:

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

"Let not the sun go down upon your wrath": don't keep for the night what can be laid down. Anger carried all night takes up room in the heart. For the future, Jesus gives an instruction that resembles the third word:

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof": tomorrow has its own worries; don't add them to today's. Finally, the psalmist falls asleep in peace because he knows God keeps watch (Psalms 4:8).

Pitfalls to avoid

Turning the review into a trial. If, after five minutes, you feel heavier, something is wrong. Forgiveness must be received as seriously as it is asked.

Forgetting the thank-you. When you are tired, you start with what is wrong. Go around the blessings first: that is what gives you the strength to look at the rest.

Falling asleep on grudges. If someone hurt you, don't bury it: tell God and decide to let it go. If it is serious, a conversation will be needed tomorrow.

Ruminating about tomorrow. The third word is a handing over, not a plan. If you catch yourself planning every minute of tomorrow, rest: "It's yours."

Skipping it when exhausted. On evenings of great tiredness, one sentence is enough: "Thank you, sorry, tomorrow is yours."

Tonight, before sleeping, take five minutes. Say these three words, one by one.