Regular self-reflection is a habit that can make a Christian become a better Christian.
Most Christians go through life without giving much thought to how they go about it. Their minds are preoccupied with the affairs of this life from Sunday to Sunday. They don’t have time to consider their thoughts, actions, inactions, interactions, and so on.
They get up early in the morning and have their quiet time or morning devotion. Fiam…! They’re on their way to work. In the evening, they will supposedly be tired when they return. They spend time with their loved ones. Fiam…! They retire for the night. I am convinced that not everyone who prays in the morning also prays at night.
This has been a challenge in the lives of Christians, and some of them have forgotten who they are in Christ.
In this post, I will be covering a practical way of practicing the act of regular self-reflection as a Christian and why it is necessary to practice it.
You might also like to read this article: Walking With God: Know the 7’Cs of How to Walk with God
Table of Contents
What is self-reflection?
Reflection simply means careful thought or consideration about a thing. There are many kinds of reflection based on what you consider thinking. In this post, I am considering self-reflection as a Christian. So, what is it?
Self-reflection is an intentional practice whereby one sets aside time to think carefully about their way of life. He thinks about his goals, priorities, actions, interactions, and most importantly, his relationship with his Maker.
It can be done daily, monthly, yearly, or even at some strategic point in one’s life.
What does the Bible say about self-reflection?
In this post, we’ll consider the following Scriptures:
Psalms 119:59-60, I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.(NKJV).
“Ways” can be referred to as an accumulation of steps. The path you have taken It could be that you have already taken tens of thousands, millions, billions, or even trillions of steps in the wrong direction.
David said, “I thought on my ways…”. He practiced self-reflection.
It will help you right now if you can just imagine the end of the path you’ve chosen. Can you answer the question, “Where am I going from here?”
You may proceed if the destination is safe. But, if there is destruction ahead, should you stay on the wrong path because you have invested time and energy in getting there? Should you keep doing evil because you’ve been doing it for years? Not at all!
It doesn’t matter how fast you’re going if you’re heading in the wrong direction
Stephen Covey
So, what do you think? To change? Yes! The best option is to change!
Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and turn back to the Lord.
This is a call to think about our ways and compare them with God’s directives. Then, we are to take the right action by returning to God.
Do you remember the prodigal son?
St. Luke 15:17-18 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father…"
This young man returned to his father because “he came to himself…”.
There are many other Bible verses we would have considered but let’s talk about how to practice this regular self-reflection.
How to practice regular self-reflection
- Get an exercise book and keep it in a place where you can always remember to take it. (You can use your phone).
- Set aside at least 10 minutes every day (you can just incorporate it into your morning devotion) to think about how your day or the previous day went, as the case may be. For the week, set aside at least an hour. For the month, about 3 hours and so on.
- Ask yourself probing questions like, “What are my priorities?” How do I interact with others? What did I do today that I don’t like? Which attitudes do I despise in other people’s lives, and are they present in mine? (Matthew 7:5) And many more…
- Simply scribble them on paper.
- Compare them with God’s Word in your heart.
- Ask yourself where those attitudes might land you if you continue with them.
- Resolve to make changes wherever necessary.
- Turn those resolutions into prayer points that you will use in your time of prayer.
Things to avoid when practicing regular self-reflection
- Evaluating yourself according to reason.
- Evaluating yourself against others
- And evaluating yourself by the world system.
Why is regular self-reflection important?
Self-reflection is an indispensable practice for any Christian who is deliberate about his spiritual growth.
Businessmen, for example, enjoy seeing their companies grow and progress. As a result, they devote time to keeping accurate records of all business transactions.
They perform calculations to determine whether they are making a profit or a loss. They rethink their business strategy. They hire experts when necessary. They do ensure that they are on the right track.
What about our soul’s business? We frequently disregard our souls because we are preoccupied with our bodies. Though we believe that our soul is valuable, we prefer our bodies to our souls in practice.
These are a few of the many reasons why we should incorporate this practice of self-reflection into our daily or weekly routine:
- It’s the major key to self-awareness. I know you believe that a problem identified is half solved. Self-reflection helps us easily identify our weaknesses. Even though we can not see our backside, self-reflection makes us aware of most of the flaws we have, which are within our reach to see.
- It encourages us to compare our actions with God’s directives or words.
- It takes one’s thoughts away for a while from the busyness of life and focuses them on the business of the soul.
- Likewise, it allows us to keep track of our net movement in our walk with God and determine whether we are moving at the same pace as He is.
- It helps us to identify on time when we stray from God’s directives.
- Furthermore, it assists us in understanding ourselves and strategically planning how to improve our areas of weakness.
- It helps us know areas to intensively ask God for help when we come before him.
You might also like to read: 20 Obvious Hindrances To Spiritual Growth
Conclusion
Regular self-reflection is essential for any Christian who does not want to experience stunted spiritual growth. This is because, unlike physical growth in height, spiritual growth is a deliberate process.
