The Wonder (and work) of REflection

As we’ve talked in the last few weeks about the importance of rest and identifying the things we need in our lives, it reminds me of the importance of taking time to reflect and evaluate in general. Reflecting on where we are and where we want to be going, maybe at times reflecting on the past, and especially reflecting on God’s Word are all helpful as we seek to be the healthiest people and leaders that we can be.


In Proverbs 27:19 is says:

“As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.”


This is a great reminder for us that our what is in our heart truly reflects who we are. Sometimes we think what’s in our heart is our secret, but what’s in our heart has a way of coming out. In fact in Luke 6:45 Jesus explained it this way:

“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

When we find ourselves doing or saying things we don’t like, or more importantly that don’t honor and glorify God, then it’s probably time for some reflection to figure out what sort of unhealthy things have made their way into our hearts.


This idea of reflection or examination can be found throughout Scripture. In Lamentations 3:40, it is stated very directly:
“Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord.”
So not only to we need to take time to take a close look at what we’re doing, but I find that word “probe” very interesting. “Probe” gives us this great image of pushing back at and digging into what we are seeing. To get to the real heart of issues that we are dealing with, reactions that we are having, or why we suddenly seem angry or bitter, we need to do some probing. We need to dig to get to the root of the issue.


I don’t enjoying dealing with weeds in my yard, but I also don’t enjoy a yard full of weeds. Sometimes when I notice weeds, I can go pull them and they pull out fairly easily, roots and all and that’s not too bad. It takes some effort, but it’s worth it and the task is accomplished fairly painlessly. Other times though, even when the weed isn’t that big and doesn’t seem like that big of deal, I begin tugging on it only to discover that the roots are far more entrenched than it appears on the surface. A couple things tend to happen when I come across these type of weeds. If I realize how strong these roots are, I start pulling on the weed a little more carefully so that it doesn’t just break off the part that is showing and leave the roots. Sometimes this careful pulling allows me to sense where the most resistance is and adjust my approach so that I can slowly pull the entire weed and roots up successfully. This takes patience, though, and more effort, but it gets the job done. Other times though, if I don’t realize how deep the roots go right away, sometimes I end up pulling the top part of the weed off, but the roots remain intact. At that point I have a choice. I can begin tediously digging into the soil to try to find and remove the roots that remain, or I can decide that it’s good enough and cover up what remains underground hoping that it will just die off. If I choose the second approach, it rarely works because the weed almost always regrows and when it does the roots are even stronger and harder to remove. It often seems easier to choose that second approach though because the first one takes so much effort and I don’t want to bother, but in the long-run I’m just creating more problems and work because I delayed what needed to be done.


Hopefully, you see the connection here. Just like weeds make our yards become a mess, weeds in our hearts do the same, and weeds in our hearts require much of the same attention, effort, thought, and patience that weeds in our yard do. Here is another connection though: I can help prevent or at least limit the growth of the weeds in my yard if I take the time and effort to carefully and faithfully use a pre-emergent to cover the ground and keep the weeds from growing in the first place. Psalm 1:1-2 gives us insight on a pre-emergent that God gives us for the weeds that might want to grow in our hearts:
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.”
Meditating, or giving focused thought, on God’s Word and delighting in it helps to prevent the weeds of life from taking root in our hearts. The more faithful we are with this and the more we apply it to our life, then the more it guards our hearts against the seeds of doubt, insecurity, bitterness, envy, angry and more that the evil one tries to sow.


One of the things with pre-emergent though is that it states that for best results existing weeds need to be cleared away. Just like with our yards, just spending time in the Word alone is not enough. We need to put in the work of careful, intentional, patient reflection to remove the weeds that have already taken root in our hearts as soon as we notice them. This definitely isn’t easy, but it is necessary for us to live the lives of freedom, abundance, service, purpose and calling that God desires for us.


James reminds us of the importance of this along with image of reflection in James 1:22-25 where it says:


“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual does, this man will be blessed in what he does.”


So when we start seeing signs that we’ve heard the word but aren’t doing it, it’s definitely time to put the Wonder of Reflection to work in our lives so we can start seeing and pulling the weeds to reveal the beautiful, strong hearts God has placed in us and clear up the reflection we’re showing the world. I pray you will take sometime today to begin to reflect on the condition of your heart, and seek God’s guidance to get to the root of anything that shouldn’t be there.