During the final weeks of December and the first weeks of January, my inbox overflows with helpful tips and tricks. They all want me to review the past year. Some even suggest going back over my whole life.
A Waste of Time?
Goodness! Won’t this be a time-waster? Yes and no. And why do I need to look back? It can be helpful! Shouldn’t I keep moving forward? Ultimately, always move forward with Jesus.
Reviewing your year is a waste of time if you don’t do it properly. But when done prayerfully, with an open heart, and with Jesus, reviewing, remembering, and reflecting on the past year can be like finding hidden treasures in the story of your life.
Why Reflect? One reason why we chose to review (definition of “re” from Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary: re—again, for a second time, review—to look back over, reexamine) is so that we can remember God’s hesed acts of faithfulness. In Exodus 34:6-7, God describes Himself as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and One who forgives iniquity. Hesed often represents the mercy and compassion of God. It expresses an essential part of God’s nature.
These things would be hard to forget, wouldn’t they? But if we are anything like Aaron and the Hebrews in Exodus, we are quick to forget. Moses read the book of the covenant and all the people heard it. They responded with this: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” (Exodus 24:7).
However, while Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God, the people thought Moses and God had deserted them. Aaron led the Israelites to make a golden calf to worship (Exodus 23:2). How quickly they forgot that God had delivered them out of the hand of Pharoah and was leading them to the promised land.
Looking back reveals to us the goodness of God in our lives. If we don’t review our lives occasionally, we will forget. Memories quickly evaporate when we don’t reflect on them.
Another reason we review is to see and reflect on our growth. How did we grow? What caused this growth? Was it a season of loss that Jesus grew us through? Or were we consistent in our prayer, Bible reading, and abiding with Him?
Why should we look back and remember what had happened in our lives? Psalm 73 tells us it is to understand.
For Understanding
“When I pondered to understand this” Psalm 73:16a
The psalmist was pondering the wicked versus the righteous. He wasn’t thinking about this to rehash or rehearse any hurts or mistakes. He simply wanted to understand. And he brought it before the Lord in the sanctuary.
We can do the same as we look back on our year and see the good and the bad. We can bring our questions before Jesus and ask Him to help us understand what went wrong, what was good, and why. His Holy Spirit helps us understand why we do things, and why we act the way we do. We can renew our thought patterns or conduct. We can make good changes (the RE in this instance means anew, in a different form). We can renew our commitment to Jesus.
When we seek understanding from the Lord, we are better equipped to fight any spiritual battles that come our way. We are more discerning and realize these are skirmishes and Satan is trying to trip us up.
How to Review
How can we review? Always bring it before the Lord first! Pray that He will reveal truth. You can journal about your reflections. This could be a daily or weekly rhythm.
Not a journaler? Simply jot down one thing each day about that day. Ask yourself “What did I learn from this? How did I see God’s faithfulness and love today?” Record it in your planner, or buy a cheap spiral notebook. Review this monthly to find out how you’ve grown and how Jesus has been faithful.
Don’t let all this overwhelm you! This can be good and helpful, but it isn’t something you must do. The one thing you must and need to do is spend time with Jesus, and walk closely with Him! He is all you need!
For His glory,
Do you have a longing in your heart that needs filling? Are you hurting or grieving? Click here for hope!
