Reflection

The days which announce the end of a calendar year bring with them moments of reflection.  Perhaps, it is different in heaven, but here on earth, a printed calendar often shapes what we do and how we do it.  This reflection at the end of December and the first of January has always expressed itself in the making of resolutions.  Making resolutions is not something which our religion dictates that we should be about, it is just something we have at different times in different degrees involved ourselves.  And, of course,  most resolutions are made today and gone tomorrow.   

Reflection takes us to a different level.  It is more of a religious experience in that we are required to give some serious thought to how we have been living with ourselves, one another, and our Creator. When this happens in a serious and thoughtful manner, it usually takes us to some form of repentance.  This repentance may not be expressed in traditional religious terms, but it involves sorrow and a desire to turn to a different way.  Particularly, is this true when we use these days to consider our spiritual lives.    

The easy response to such spiritual reflection is to decide to read another chapter of the Bible every day, or to pray five more minutes, or to do something which offers some hope of improving our spiritual lives.  And while these things are important, what really needs reflection is not the doing part of our lives, but the being part.  Who is it that we are becoming in the eyes of God?  What kind of spirit guides us in our walk with Him and our living with others?  Who is that person we see in the mirror each morning?   Where are we and where is He calling us to go?   Where are we willing to go?  Resolutions take us into the shallow water, but reflection may get us out in waters that are over our heads.