Art of Reflection

I am thankful this is ‘late’ as far as New Years resolutions go. Today is just as good of a day to start something as any other day. New Years resolutions never work for me because they were are often fueled by fleshly desires like vanity and pride. But what if our motivation and mission was to join the one who is already at work inside of us and He never fails!

Jan Johnson says it isn’t experiences that transform us, but the reflection upon those experiences. It is so important that we look back and remember where we have been in order to inform where we are going. It is also biblical! Over and over the Israelites are told to REMEMBER. They are to mark their door frames, their foreheads, make alters/pillars to remember what God did along the way.

Let’s start today being reflective, looking back in order to go forward. May we begin to come alive to what Christ is up to inside of us because we are choosing to make space and reflect. There are daily, weekly, and yearly practices we can use to look back and see what the Lord has been up to.

Daily: Have a daily reflection as simple as a few minutes to consider what Ignatius called ‘consolations and desolations.’ In other words what today drew you to the Lord’s presence, what made you come alive? And what today quenched the spirit, brought death to your soul? These can feel like dramatic questions but they reveal so much if we will take the time to ask them.

Weekly: Observe a Sabbath, don’t ignore the 4th commandment any longer. More on this practice to come but for now once a week sit and ask those same questions reflecting over your week. Courageous next step…share your answers from the week with your person (friend or spouse). In your reflection what surprised you the most? What did you learn about yourself?

Yearly: A natural time to do this is at the turn of the calendar year but it can be done anytime. Sit down with your person, recount a highlight real from the year, see what themes are present, what lessons you have learned, and then pray and dream towards the year to come. What changes need to be made based on your consolation and desolations over this past year? Ask the Lord for a word for the year. This may take time to come forth but ask for it! It can help you stay focused on the eternal work he is doing in you in the midst of this crazy thing we call life. Here is a podcast that discusses a yearly reflection that didn’t leave me feeling like a failure.

Give grace upon grace to yourself if you take this challenge. You won’t be disappointed! Celebrate if you remember to reflect even once this week! All good things take time. I really believe the more we connect with Christ in us and come alive, the easier and more natural all this becomes. So just take a step. Let the Lord do His thing. He has loved you since before the creation of this world. Let Him lavish you with that love and draw you near!

Let me know if you go for it in the comments! Would love to support you however I can! Or maybe you already practice this type of reflection, share what it does for you. Would love to hear from you:)