By What has the Lord been speaking to you lately?
Tonight as I am out on the balcony while here on my beach vacation, the Lord said to me, “Tina, you need to reflect.” I said, “Lord, what do you want me to reflect on?” He replied, “the past.”
Just so you know me a little better, when I look back on my life, I see a lot of pain and regret. Most of this was my own fault. I can’t even tell you how many times I ignored the inner voice. Rebelling to the point that I thought I was “cool.” Making decisions based on what others thought, their ideas of why I should do this thing or that thing. All the while I was losing my true identity.
When the Lord told me to reflect, I thought I was the type of person that did too much reflecting on my ugly past, but I soon realized that He wanted to teach me what reflecting really meant. So with my pen in hand, I looked up the word reflect. Oxford defines reflect: to throw back, to send back; think deeply or carefully about. However, the greek/Hebrew definitions of reflect was to meditate, to mull over, to mirror, to ponder, and to reverberate.
I began to see that the Lord wanted me to reflect on things like when He came through for me. How He provided for the bills to be paid when my resources were low. To meditate on His goodness and mercy that brought me out of situations I never should have been in. The mindset I had was beating myself up for my mistakes and my sins, but God’s idea was for me to remember His faithfulness, to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
(1 John1:9) To give me “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:3).
Here are a few scriptures to meditate on. Remember what God is taking you to is far better than what He has brought you through!
Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.”
Psalm 19:14 reads, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 104:34 declares, “May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the LORD.”
Psalm 119:148, “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.”
Isaiah 26:3 says, “that the Lord will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him.”
Therefore, let us trust Him with our past, trust Him to help us move past our past, and trust Him to use all of it to bring glory to Him. Always look unto Him because He is the way. Reflect on the progress you have made. Then fix your eyes on where He is taking you.
It’s not so much where we dwell physically, but it’s Whom we dwell with daily. Make sure we are dwelling in Him. It is in Him we trust. So take the time to reflect.
Tina Bassett resides in New Martinsville. She is a single mom of three beautiful daughters: Rachel, Charity, and Destiny. She is the director of the greeters/ushers, serves on the prayer team, and also participates on the praise and worship team at her local church. She loves animals and the beach. More than anything she wants her life to reflect God’s love and have an impact on those around her.
by leaps and bounds 