Reflection Archives

Happy New Year! Fall is by far my favorite season! I love the cooling of the air, the shortening of the days, and the invitation to prepare for winter by preserving the harvest (even if its not from my own garden). It is the time of returning to routines and the home is central to it all. Warm meals and baking are welcomed after so many hot months where the kitchen seems unappealing. School begins and the rhythms of life become more predictable.

Each season brings a time for reflection for me. What is working in our lives? What isn’t working? What can we do differently? How do we want to spend our time during this season? I try to take some time to really think through these things. The last 2 years I have been able to get away for a couple days and it has been such a blessing to have the time and space to consider our lives. We have made some huge changes this past year and having some space really helped me have some clarity.

This year I also started making a wall calendar on a half sheet of poster board for the family for the season. It has been amazing to me how much it has helped us be intentional about our time. Seeing our schedule a little zoomed out has helped us so much as we make our plans.

I have been thinking about how much September seems like new year. It is a time for making plans, lists and preparations for the coming time. And then it hit me as I looked at the calendar. Rosh Hashanah was this week. In the Jewish calendar, September has been the new year all along.

So Happy New Year! May God bless you in this coming year!

In our ladies Bible class at church we are reading Max Lucado’s book called, It’s Not About Me. We discussed the first chapter last week. One of his main points in the chapter is that we should be Son Reflectors in the same way that the moon is a sun reflector. The moon does not generate her own light but instead reflects the light of the sun. In the same way we should reflect Jesus’ glory. We need to witness God and share that witness with others.

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)

or here is the verse again in the Message:

All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

What an amazing thought!

And then God allowed me a very small glimpse of his glory just to keep this idea in my mind.

I was driving home Friday night from the store and the biggest, orangest, most beautiful moon was shining in the sky.

I was listening to KLOVE and this is the song that was playing on the radio:

Salvador – Shine
From the album Dismiss the Mystery

I woke up to another day
Another day to celebrate
Your beauty and your mystery, it’s more than any eye can see
I’m not the man I was before
With You, my life is so much more
Break the chains and open doors to a world I can’t ignore

Chorus
Lord let me shine, shine like the moon
A reflection of you in all that I do
Lord let me be a light for your truth
Light of the world, I wanna be used to shine for you

As simple as a passing smile
Or listening a little while
To someone that’s convinced that they are in this all alone
Here’s my chance to share the news
To introduce the good that’s you
Here you go again, you never cease to blow my mind

Chorus

You’re the love that we all need
You lift us up to our feet
You hold the key to eternity
The King of Kings alive in me

———————

May God be praised and may I become a reflection of His glory.