Week 6: Reflect
“And we all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,
who is the Spirit.”- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Something that reflects comes back to you. If you look in a mirror, you will see your reflected image. If you reflect on your past experiences, you look at them once again thoughtfully. Reflect also means to give evidence of the character or quality of something. Most parents want their
children to reflect their own strengths by emulating their behaviour. A set of telling statistics could reflect the buying trends in an economic cycle. Reflecting can mean seeing something original in another form or image. (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reflect)
“Most parents want their children to reflect
their own strengths by emulating their behaviour” really speaks to me about God and how we should emulate Jesus’ behaviour and reflect God’s ways.
The past five weeks of “Living through Lent” may mean you have had to spend more time in silence and solitude. You may have gotten to know yourself a bit better during this time. This is not always an easy task. It can be uncomfortable coming face-to-face with who we are. It means we must
admit to our weaknesses, hold ourselves accountable, and draw closer to God. The process of introspection and self-reflection is the key to understanding ourselves and gives us a glimpse of God’s unique creation of us.
The journey over the past five weeks has called us to consider fasting and those things that keep our focus off Jesus; prayer and how, when and where to pray; the gift of giving and of using our God-given gifts;
being thankful and grateful for all our blessings; serving and how we can bring glory to God by serving others.
“At its heart, self-reflection is setting aside time to think deeply and evaluate your thoughts, attitudes, motivations, and desires. It’s examining your emotions and behaviors and then asking yourself, ‘Why do I feel and act this way?’” Elizabeth Perry writes in the blog Get to know yourself through the act of self-reflection. This Lent, we have been challenged to look at ourselves carefully and find ways to enhance or improve ourselves to have a better relationship with God and others.
Perry goes on to say, “Self-reflection builds self-awareness, but only through intention and dedication. This means you must regularly press “pause” on your busy life to create time and space to sit peacefully to sift through your thoughts and interactions to scrutinise them without judgement or condemnation.” Intentionally spending extended periods in silence and solitude with Jesus means we put him first. We are allowing a time for Jesus to work to
transform us. We are transformed when we turn away from ourselves and towards the glory of God.
You are encouraged to reflect on all you have noticed about yourself, others and most importantly, God as you have been “Living through Lent” for the past five weeks.
As you enter Holy Week and look forward to our Lord's resurrection, I pray that you encounter God in a new
way and be renewed in him.
Readings for the coming days
25 Mar John 19:1-16
26 Mar Matthew 27:27-44
27 Mar Luke 23:26-49
28 Mar John 19:16-27
29 Mar John 19:28-42
30 Mar John 20:1-31
31 Mar He is risen!
