January 3rd, 2022
Written by Angie Drummonds
Happy New Year!
Hello, 2022! Here we are, in the year 2022! A brand new year begins full of hope and anticipation for the new that awaits. The beginning of a new year usually brings resolutions to meet new goals, do new things, be a better person, and make positive changes. Those are all great things, but I personally believe that, before we can start the new and succeed, we must remember and learn from the old.
One of my favorite things to do at the close of one year and the beginning of another is to set aside time to do some reflection. I like to reflect on the past year and all it held, whether good or bad, and allow the experiences of the past to help me have better insight for the new year ahead.
Journaling is something I enjoy doing and is so therapeutic for me. When I take this time to reflect, I pull out my journals and look back over the words written across those pages. Those pages are a place where I am raw and bare my soul. It’s where I write prayer requests and praise reports and document life events, my thoughts, and my feelings as I go through them. When I reflect on the past year, these pages help me remember the goodness of God in the darkest moments through the prayers He’s answered, the situations He brought me through, and the trials in which He continues to give me peace and strength to withstand. It’s a time where I pause to praise God for His goodness over the past year.
John Maxwell once said, “Reflective thinking turns experience into insight.”The experiences we have all had over the past year have shaped us into who we are today. And those experiences can help us grow into who God created each of us to be. When we take time to reflect, it gives us an opportunity to evaluate areas in our lives such as our walk with Christ, our relationships, our ministries, our health, and many more that can be added, in a way that helps us have better insight to how we should move forward. It helps us remember where we have been, where we have excelled, and where we have fallen short; and it helps remind us of where we want to be.
In Joshua chapter 4 we see an example of where God instructed Joshua to reflect. Here we see that, after the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan, God spoke to Joshua to take twelve men from the people, one from every tribe, to go and take twelve stones from out of the Jordan, carry them back, and lay them down as a memorial to not only those men, but to their children as well as a permanent reminder of what God had done. The reflection on what happened previously in their journey was just as important as their intentions moving forward. The purpose of going back was to serve as a reminder for them, and their distant children, of what God had done. Reflecting on where God has brought us helps us remember His goodness when we face hard times in the future.
To take the necessary time to reflect we have to take time to withdraw from the busyness of our lives, to spend time alone with God in prayer and reflection. As in anything we do, we look to Jesus as our example and we see many times he withdrew to spend time alone with God to reflect and prepare.
In Mark, after Jesus was baptized, instead of immediately emerging into His ministry, the scripture says the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. This was a time of reflection of what had just happened in His baptism, for preparation of the ministry that was ahead. Reflecting on the call God has placed on our lives prepares us to better serve Him in ministry.
Many times Jesus told the disciples to go ahead and He would come later, as we see in the gospels when Jesus told them to go in the boat to the other side and He would come later. The Bible says He dismissed the crowd and withdrew to the mountain to pray. This was an example of a time of reflection to rest or rejuvenate Himself to continue the journey ahead. Pausing to pray and reflect alone with God helps us be encouraged and strengthened in our service to Him.
Another example was when Jesus withdrew to pray in the garden. He knew Judas had betrayed Him and He knew the cross lay before Him. This was a time of reflection to the distress of the betrayal and of what He knew He had to do. The outcome of his prayer alone was not His will, but God’s will to be done. This was a reflection on God’s nature, His goodness, and His will. Reflecting on times when we had to obey or trust God in difficult circumstances reminds us that God is faithful, even in the difficult times that don’t always make sense.
As we begin this new year, I encourage you to take time to reflect and pray. As you spend this crucial alone time with God, you are preparing yourself to better serve God in every part of your life and equipping yourself with the insight to better be able to meet those 2022 goals!
Remember what’s behind you so you can prepare for what’s ahead of you!
Happy New Year!
Hello, 2022! Here we are, in the year 2022! A brand new year begins full of hope and anticipation for the new that awaits. The beginning of a new year usually brings resolutions to meet new goals, do new things, be a better person, and make positive changes. Those are all great things, but I personally believe that, before we can start the new and succeed, we must remember and learn from the old.
One of my favorite things to do at the close of one year and the beginning of another is to set aside time to do some reflection. I like to reflect on the past year and all it held, whether good or bad, and allow the experiences of the past to help me have better insight for the new year ahead.
Journaling is something I enjoy doing and is so therapeutic for me. When I take this time to reflect, I pull out my journals and look back over the words written across those pages. Those pages are a place where I am raw and bare my soul. It’s where I write prayer requests and praise reports and document life events, my thoughts, and my feelings as I go through them. When I reflect on the past year, these pages help me remember the goodness of God in the darkest moments through the prayers He’s answered, the situations He brought me through, and the trials in which He continues to give me peace and strength to withstand. It’s a time where I pause to praise God for His goodness over the past year.
John Maxwell once said, “Reflective thinking turns experience into insight.”The experiences we have all had over the past year have shaped us into who we are today. And those experiences can help us grow into who God created each of us to be. When we take time to reflect, it gives us an opportunity to evaluate areas in our lives such as our walk with Christ, our relationships, our ministries, our health, and many more that can be added, in a way that helps us have better insight to how we should move forward. It helps us remember where we have been, where we have excelled, and where we have fallen short; and it helps remind us of where we want to be.
In Joshua chapter 4 we see an example of where God instructed Joshua to reflect. Here we see that, after the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan, God spoke to Joshua to take twelve men from the people, one from every tribe, to go and take twelve stones from out of the Jordan, carry them back, and lay them down as a memorial to not only those men, but to their children as well as a permanent reminder of what God had done. The reflection on what happened previously in their journey was just as important as their intentions moving forward. The purpose of going back was to serve as a reminder for them, and their distant children, of what God had done. Reflecting on where God has brought us helps us remember His goodness when we face hard times in the future.
To take the necessary time to reflect we have to take time to withdraw from the busyness of our lives, to spend time alone with God in prayer and reflection. As in anything we do, we look to Jesus as our example and we see many times he withdrew to spend time alone with God to reflect and prepare.
In Mark, after Jesus was baptized, instead of immediately emerging into His ministry, the scripture says the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. This was a time of reflection of what had just happened in His baptism, for preparation of the ministry that was ahead. Reflecting on the call God has placed on our lives prepares us to better serve Him in ministry.
Many times Jesus told the disciples to go ahead and He would come later, as we see in the gospels when Jesus told them to go in the boat to the other side and He would come later. The Bible says He dismissed the crowd and withdrew to the mountain to pray. This was an example of a time of reflection to rest or rejuvenate Himself to continue the journey ahead. Pausing to pray and reflect alone with God helps us be encouraged and strengthened in our service to Him.
Another example was when Jesus withdrew to pray in the garden. He knew Judas had betrayed Him and He knew the cross lay before Him. This was a time of reflection to the distress of the betrayal and of what He knew He had to do. The outcome of his prayer alone was not His will, but God’s will to be done. This was a reflection on God’s nature, His goodness, and His will. Reflecting on times when we had to obey or trust God in difficult circumstances reminds us that God is faithful, even in the difficult times that don’t always make sense.
As we begin this new year, I encourage you to take time to reflect and pray. As you spend this crucial alone time with God, you are preparing yourself to better serve God in every part of your life and equipping yourself with the insight to better be able to meet those 2022 goals!
Remember what’s behind you so you can prepare for what’s ahead of you!
2 Comments
Thank you Angie. I appreciate and needed these words today. God is Good!
Amen! So glad it ministered to you, friend!