Reflections

Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting on the past year. It is the beginning of the holiday season and it seems like from Thanksgiving right through the Christmas season, I spend a lot of time reflecting on the past year. This leads right up to the end of the holiday season and the onset of the new year when all of us typically set goals and hopes for the future. It is probably a good thing to spend time evaluating the past, reflecting on where we have been, and where we are going. Otherwise we might be like the Israelites in the wilderness, aimlessly wandering in circles while waiting for something better to come along.

Reflection and evaluation allows us to make changes and to set realistic goals for those changes. Unfortunately for many the goals we set at New Year's are hastily and unrealistically set. Goals like "I'm going to lose 50 pounds this year; I'm going to exercise an hour a day; or I'm going to get up earlier and spend an hour with the Lord." All worthy goals, but really, if you haven't already been working on this areas, can you really reach those goals?

But if we start with small steps, we can reach those small goals and then we can reach a little bit higher. And isn't that what reflection and evaluation are all about. And so I will spend this month thinking about where I was a year ago and what changes I want to make and how I can realistically reach them. And then come January 1st, I'll set a few new goals for myself.