Over the last two days I’ve spent some time out with some great people having some space, talking, eating and reflecting.
I’ve come to realise, as a busy, pioneering people-person, I need reflection.
Some people find reflection very easy – they’re driven by it, or a least crave it. Others, like me, need to make space for it, because stopping and being doesn’t come easy. The summer, for students and students-to-be, is a fantastic opportunity for reflection. That doesn’t mean sitting around doing nothing, its about taking time out to ask where are you, who are you, and where and who are you going to be?
Students:
- What have been your priorities this last year?
- What have you really enjoyed?
- What have you really struggled with, and why?
- Is there anything you need to bring before God and leave there?
- Is there anything you need to take up that you’ve dropped, or forgotten about, or lost somewhere along the way?
School leavers and Graduates:
- What are you most looking forward to?
- What are you most afraid of ? What is it about that that scares you?
- What are the things which you don’t want to lose when you move on?
- What are the things you want to leave behind?
To spend some time and space thinking on these things is a key part of developing, moving on, and making the most of both what has been and what lies ahead. You might reflect through chatting with someone, through journaling, or just through giving yourself space to think. Maybe you want to get together with someone else in the same lifestage or who’s a step further on and think these through together.
For all of us, no matter where we are, reflection is a part of becoming who we were made to be, and gives us confidence and encouragement in light of what God has already been doing.
