Dear friend,
Good morning, how are you today? I hope you are keeping well and things are turning out in your favour. The things that are not going the way you planned often end up favouring you. Believe this and move through this weekend with that in your hand.
Our inner state changes depending on what we need to become in every situation. Check within yourself; perhaps there is something that needs adjusting to get your desired outcome.
The end of the year is often pregnant with conversation about how the year has gone. 2025 is one of those years that feels like a “Buy one get one free.” it has been intense from the start to the end.
We are literally living in a time when wars, famine, wickedness, and dismay have been the most popular experience of the masses. What an Exhausting time. What I know, however, is that even in the darkest times, my faith promises that a light will be poured out
So let’s think about how we have grown this year, in the various aspects of our lives. The lessons, the strengthened character, the new insights and wisdom, the new divine connections, depth in God, and strengthened faith.
All these are manifestations of light, even in the midst of prevailing darkness.
In a world filled with unrelenting noise and doubts, reflection is the quiet space where you often whisper the truth about Who you are, and who you are becoming. It calls out the light from every situation that we go through, squeezing out lessons we can carry forward as wisdom for the next phase.
My first interaction with this term “reflection” was within professional spaces, and it often seemed like such a bother until I realized how useful it was for extracting wisdom and equipping me for the future.
A life that is reflective always gets better and shines even in the worst circumstances, just because your brain is forced to consider things from at least 3 perspectives.
In teaching a course geared towards supporting colleagues in clinical exams, I often ask them to provide feedback on their own performance. It’s so easy to get them to say what they need to do better, compared to what they have done very well.
It is always an interesting experience to see a professional, highly skilled adult struggle to think about what went well. We have been so conditioned to criticize that our skill for positive reelection is almost gone.
Lord, have mercy.
It’s that gentle pause between yesterday and tomorrow — the moment we stop running long enough to listen to our own heart.
Reflection isn’t about replaying mistakes or drowning in regret. It’s about stepping back, breathing deeply, and asking: What is this moment teaching me? What is God trying to show me here? Why am I having these feelings? What is really going on? This intentional pause is where real growth begins. “Where are you?”
A Path to Understanding Yourself
Life has a way of keeping us busy, but not necessarily aware. We move from task to task, crisis to crisis, without truly processing how these moments shape us. Reflection helps us slow down enough to notice our emotions, motives, fears, dreams, and patterns.
It is in this stillness that clarity is formed. The Bible captures this beautifully when it says:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10
Stillness isn’t inactivity; it is an intentional awareness. It is choosing to pause long enough to acknowledge God’s presence in our growth journey. To focus on the thing that needs focusing on. One of my lecturers in University, while teaching us to build academic discipline, once said, “ Focus is the death of everything, except one thing”.
Focus, my dear friend. Focus.
In my learning the art and act of reflection, we become more honest with ourselves, we notice where we’ve healed, where we’re still hurting, and where we need grace — both from God and from ourselves.
To be Reflective is to Grow in Strength
1. It Helps You Learn From Your Experiences
Every experience carries meaning, but we miss it when we don’t reflect. The lessons hidden in our challenges often become the stepping stones for who we will be tomorrow. I learnt recently that even in areas where we have been wronged, we have an opportunity to see how things could have been better, how we could have responded better, and changed the outcome significantly.
2. It Builds Spiritual and Emotional Awareness
You cannot change what you cannot see. Reflection shines a gentle light on blind spots, helping you respond with wisdom and strength instead of reacting from emotion only. Emotions are merely information for what needs tending to, not necessarily the solution to the problem.
A reflective person often becomes more compassionate and endearing, attracting limitless opportunities.
3. It Realigns You With Purpose
When life gets overwhelming, reflection helps you return to the “why” behind your actions. You begin to move with intention instead of drifting away from your purpose. It serves as a grounding force for good, anchoring you to what matters and letting go of what doesn’t.
4. Reflection Creates Space for God to Speak
Scripture reminds us:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart… and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23–24
Reflection becomes a sacred moment where you invite God to examine your heart and guide your steps. Most of us will struggle with this, mostly because we are so distracted that we often don’t examine our hearts, our motivations, or our actions. “We move!”
Maybe not so fast, friend. Pause.
Simple, Gentle Ways to Practice Reflection
- Journaling — Write honestly about your day, your feelings, and what you learned. There are easy prompts you can use, such as:
“What went well?”
“What didn’t go well?”
“How can I make it better?”
We have a post here on journaling as a community practice. How can this be used to move a community forward?
- Quiet walks — Let your thoughts settle naturally as you observe the world around you. Don’t just walk, observe, see what’s around you, form an opinion on it, and examine your opinion.
- Prayerful pause — Take time to sit with God, speak with Him, and listen. He is always ready to communicate with you. Prayer is a 2-way community. It is not a quick space where you demand things emotionally at your highest volume. Pause. Prayer changes you first before it does any other thing.
- Asking meaningful questions — Ask questions that help reduce confusion or uncertainties. Questions such as “What does this reveal about me?” “What is God teaching me?”
- TASK: Gratitude moment — Reflect on the small mercies you may have overlooked.
Growth Begins in the Quiet Places
Personal growth isn’t always loud or dramatic. More often, it happens in the soft moments — the pauses where you finally hear your own thoughts, the quiet where God gently redirects you, and the stillness where truth settles into your heart.
In those quiet moments where you choose life over death, where you choose the right over wrong, where you hold your tongue over exploding in a destructive manner… You form a new synapse in your brain, a connection that tells your brain that there is a new pathway to be forged. You strengthen that new positive pathway every time you repeat that action.
What are you strengthening?
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Final thoughts.
Reflection allows us to see who we were, how we exist in the world, what our place is, helps us understand who we are and intentionally shape who we’re becoming. It is not a luxury, nor some emotional hullabaloo that people do — it is a necessity for anyone seeking emotional maturity, spiritual grounding, and a life lived on purpose. Your confidence improves over time, and you start to trust yourself more. You literally create your future in the place of reflection.
Take the pause. Look inward. Listen upward.
Because the journey toward a better you begins with a moment of honest reflection.
Until next time — stay warm, stay growing, stay loving, stay whole.
With love and light,
Amaka
