Thankful reflections.

It has been all too long since I wrote last. Life seems to have picked up speed. While I try to maintain the hectic pace, all too often I flail and fall and fail to keep up. I am all out of breath. Things blur by and I forget to pause, reflect, and give thanks. My to-to list becomes so extensive that I am more motivated by the tasks than by the people God has so graciously placed in my life. My world spins madly and I become so sucked in, I start thinking that this is MY world and I only have to worry about ME.

I forget to reflect and give thanks.

One of my favorite ways to meditate is through reflective meditation. At the end of the day, I will lie down, breathe deeply, focus my mind on the day and reflect on my actions, thoughts, and words as I interacted with others during the day. There are themes throughout my days- I get grumpy when things don't go my way, I tend to be edgy when I feel stressed, I respond with hostility to certain types of leadership- that I am more mindful of because I know these are areas that need improvement.

But my favorite aspect of reflective meditation is being mindful of all the good things, all the moments during the day I can give thanks for. These can be as simple as the sunrise or as complex as discerning the Lord's direction for a life path.

One morning as I was drinking my coffee, I noticed the reflection of my kitchen christmas lights and the cloudy sky. It struck my attention and I snapped this picture. While admiring the reflection, I began pondering on my own actions lately. 

My whirlwind life had struck down my peaceful spirit and replaced it with one of anxiousness. I was so immersed in life that I started to manifest the world, not God. 

I was looking outward, not upward.

Reflections constructs space for thanksgiving and produces praise to the Lord. For myself, it also creates a space for me to be listening for God and what He says is true- regardless of the noise of the world. It is all the more crucial to carve out the time to pause, reflect, and give thanks even  in the midst of crazy life circumstances. It is in the time of chaos that reorienting ourselves upwards to reflect the Lord creates to most rebalancing in our lives.