Reflect

For me, this time of year has been one of reflection. Reflection on the sacrifice of Christ, as well as reflection on my life.  I find that reflection is an indicator of where we are, as well as who we are.. It is a method by which we discover why we do what we do, and who we are doing it for. Furthermore, it is a way of remembering all that we have been given, which I was doing Sunday morning in church.

Yesterday, our Sunday School class was studying a portion of Colossians 3. While I tremendously enjoyed the study, a small phrase in verse 13 caught my attention. It says, "Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Think about what a blessing it is to be able to truly forgive an offender! It is an exhibition of God's grace and power, as well as a demonstration of a life that is fully submitted to Him.

That morning, we also sang several songs about the suffering of Christ. One song was entitled "Ten Thousand Angels." The chorus of the song states how Christ could have called ten thousand angels to liberate himself and annihilate the world. However, He turned down the option of escape, and chose to die for everyone, including those who had rejected His message and opposed His ministry. I was so blessed to think of all that Christ suffered for my sake.

Also, one of our pastors preached a message entitled "Which Crowd?" In it, he talked about several different groups of people that Jesus faced around the time of Palm Sunday. There was the crowd crying for Him to be crucified, the crowd who welcomed Him into Jerusalem, and the crowd of soldiers that mocked and abused Him, to name a few. The challenge was, and still is, to be loyal to Christ regardless of the cost.

When is the last time you reflected on where you are in life, who you are associating yourself with, and what your goals are? When have you last considered the direction your life is going? Please, take the time to reflect on your past. Learn from your mistakes, and rejoice in your blessings. Evaluate the things you do, and compare them with God's word. Most important, remember what God has done for you, and what He has promised He will do. This, quite possibly, is the most important aspect of reflection.