One definition of the word reflection is “a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation.” The end of the year always marks a time of reflection. A time to review on the moments of the past year and prepare for the upcoming year. What I am working to not lose sight of is the meditation part of reflecting. We need to stop and put careful thought and consideration into the moments we are allowing to be strung together to result in our lives. Are we in control? That’s a large no. God is and will always be. However, we play a vital part in opening our minds, hearts, and lives to what we want in our lives.
I think there is a process to reflection. First, is to stop. Actually, physically, stop. Without noise, without the ‘what am I going to do next’ thought, and without the cloud of perfectionism hanging about our heads. Just be for a few minutes. Whether this is where you choose to pray and ask God for the help to pause, or if this is where you take solid, deep breaths for an entire minute, it is rejuvenating to simply be.
Next, list out the first thoughts that the specific time frame you are reflecting on bring. Is your time frame the last year? Is it the last 5 minutes? Write out the thoughts, feelings, outcomes, pre-cursors, etc. to that specific time span. What do you see? Do you see the work of God? Do you see the work of yourself? I think for those who are living within His word daily, I believe His handiwork will be apparent from moment to moment. I think for the areas we decided to take the wheel, you’ll see some lessons learned and hopefully U-turns back to put the right driver at the wheel. Do you see the gifts of a fruitful life shining through? (Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.”) These are the timeless, intangibles that are evidence of a well-lived life. A life with focus and purpose applied properly. Man, if I could remember this daily.
Finally, where are the lessons, growth, and encouragement in the reflection? Did you immediately learn the lesson and apply it? Are you learning it in the reflection? Is there still one to be learned? This simple equation can help establish our foundation, guided by Him, and push us into a New Year with wisdom.
Too often, I miss the time of meditation and reflection. I miss the pausing because I am continuing to press on without learning any of the lessons as they come. If you are anything like me, it has to be a conscious thing to stop, write it out, search within the moments, and learn the lessons. Before we put together the bucket lists and the goals, let’s all consciously pause, reflect, and be thankful. Let’s forge forward to creating goals with the knowledge of where we’ve come from and how far the Lord has brought us. We’re coming in hot, 2019!