Psalm 4:4 “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent.”
Haggai 1:5 “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways.’”
Too often, we (as human beings) lose sight of ourselves. We lose our understanding of who we are and how we feel about the various situations we face in our daily lives. The years pass and people find themselves with little understanding of who they are or what they value. There is value in reflecting regularly and keeping track of the people, places, and things that we as individuals value.
Take time throughout the day to think critically about your interactions. Ask yourself questions like, “how do I feel about this?”, “What did I do well in response to others?” “What will I do differently next time?” Reflect daily on conversations you’ve had and situations you have found yourself in. When we neglect to think about our day to day lives, we are doomed to a lifetime of never knowing our authentic selves.
Our uninvestigated (and thus unresolved) internal conflicts will take their toll and manifest themselves eventually. After all, if we do not know our own needs, we will inevitably fail to meet them.
Additionally, failure to reflect periodically and failure to ask ourselves what we would change about our previous reactions denies us the opportunity to learn, grow and improve. If we do not take time to ask ourselves these types of questions, we will be unaware of our personal emotional states and caught off guard by our own emotional reactions throughout or daily lives.
More questions to ask ourselves include items such as “What did that interaction say about me?” “Was the way I handled that interaction justified?”, “Was the way I handled that interaction appropriate?” “How will that interaction impact my relationship with the other people involved?” Sometimes, we will be unable to arrive at a conclusion or struggle to answer these kinds of questions on our own and we will need the input of safe people who know us well to help us conceptualize and gain fresh perspectives. Know Thyself.
