Know Thyself
Scripture Reading
Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
Reflection
How well do you know you? And I’m not referring to just your likes and dislikes.
In Psalm 139, the psalmist invites God to investigate his life, to dig deep below the surface and cross-examine every single one of his thoughts. He asks God to get a clear picture of what he’s about, to identify his mistakes, and guide him on a path forward.
It’s one thing to invite God into doing that for us (passive process). But it’s a different thing entirely to do that ourselves (active process).
When I was 28 years old, I started a new tradition on my birthday where I wake up in the morning, pour a cup of coffee, grab my journal, and find a quiet place to reflect and tear myself apart (in a good way).
I reflect on where I was, where I am, and where I’m going.
That’s it.
I typically pick apart different areas of my life inside of each of those broad categories, including physical, mental, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual areas.
It’s a deep-dive, to say the least, but one of the most telling exercises I subject myself to every year.
I’ve learned from it not just why I think what I think, but how I think what I think. I’ve learned what my triggers are for certain bad behaviors. I’ve learned how I can curb bad habits and make better decisions for me. I’ve learned what I need to really focus on and what I should do more of (or less of).
All from an hour’s worth of journaling each year.
I took the psalmist invitation to God in Psalm 139 and invited myself into the same process. It’s changed my life. Perhaps it could change yours too.
Exercise
Grab a cup of coffee and a journal, and invite yourself into an investigation of your own life. Reflect on these three broad categories:
Where I was one year ago
Where I am today
Where I want to be one year from now
And try to touch on these five (5) areas:
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Relational
Financial
Spiritual
What does your reflection reveal about you to you? What does it reveal to you about God’s activity in your own life?
Pray a prayer inviting God into this next year’s journey with you.
Matt Snyder is the Director of Communications at First Baptist Decatur. He holds a M.Div. from McAfee School of Theology and B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Friends University. Matt is also a freelance copywriter and content marketing specialist. You can learn more about his work at CopywriterCreative.com