I started this blog because I wanted an outlet to write and because I think that living reflectively is very important. In other words, I believe it's important to step back from the every day routine of life and examine things a bit, to think about why we do certain things and how we can do them better, to think about and see the beauty around us. I have deep respect for people who live their lives with intentionality, who plot their days with an eye for a greater goal than merely getting through them, who have eyes to see beautiful and significant things taking place around them, even when those things show up masked as the mundane and everyday. And I am realizing that as much as I want to be this kind of person, I am often not willing to take the time and effort necessary to live reflectively. Lately, planning a wedding has consumed much of my thoughts and I am finding myself feeling fragmented. So, for my own benefit and hopefully for yours as well, here is a list of a few reasons why living reflectively is a valuable discipline:
1. It helps us love our neighbor better (Matthew 22-37-40) because we are taking the time to reflect upon our actions and how they affect others.
2. It helps us to know (and thereby love) God and ourselves better. John Calvin once said, "You cannot know God unless you know yourself. You cannot know yourself unless you know God." We cannot do either of these well if we are constantly "plugged in" to our various forms of media or packing our our days so full we have no time to be alone or to be still.
3. It helps us to be more thankful and cheerful people (especially if we are reflecting upon the ways God has blessed us).
4. It helps us to streamline the focus of our lives by enabling us to see where we may be becoming scattered or spreading ourselves too thin. If you agree with Jesus that greatness is measured not by productivity but service, and that helping others follow Him is the mission He left us to fulfill, then you are free to say no to many things...but it also means that you may need to say yes where you have been saying no. We often hear that we need to have boundaries and learn to say no and this is true. We can't do everything and be everywhere at once. But at the same time, yes is not our enemy; the issue is, what are we saying yes to? How we answer that question determines the course of our lives.
I realize that not everyone has the time to regularly sit down and reflect. I think of my sister and her twenty-month-old daughter who is extremely active; a successful day for her is one in which my niece hasn't busted her lip or almost drowned in the bathtub. For people like my sister, living reflectively may take more creativity and effort. But living this way isn't just about having specific times that we sit and think about life. Ultimately, I think reflective living should be exactly that: a way of living, something that becomes as natural as breathing and that colors how we move through our days. So, next post I will explore a bit about what it looks like to live reflectively as we go about our daily routines. Until then, why not take a few minutes to try this little exercise...
Before going to sleep, take a few minutes to think through your day. Where did you see God moving? What can you thank Him for, big or small? Sometimes I use my dry erase board to list everything I can think of that happened in my day that I can thank God for (Psalm 92:1-2) The advantage to this is that the next morning I can wake up and be reminded of His goodness when I see my list. Try to avoid listing general things like food and family and really think about more specific things in that particular day that you are thankful for. If it is food or family, what about them are you thankful for...was it your favorite meal? Did something happen that made you especially grateful to have your spouse to talk to? Think in particulars...once you start going it may be difficult to stop!
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