Reflection

August 4, 2016

by: Ciara Leilani

What must happen for a soul to reflect? Must there be a loss of life or an addition of life; a shift in expectations or the understanding of disappointment. Reflection is often associated with a reaction of the mind and revaluation of the heart. It’s a gift from God actually. Reflection is not limited to this realm or on this earth. Millions of souls reflect in the quarters of their eternal confinement called Hell. There, they reflect on the countless of opportunities they had to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior while remembering the countless of times they refused or disobeyed His gentle nudges. God gives multiple opportunities for His children to ultimately choose Him before their final heartbeat is reached.

Reflection is a gift in that there is no one on this earth who cannot benefit from a moment of reflection. It is meant to provide a heart check to the realities of circumstances, seasons and quite possibly One’s mental state. God has always been and always will be perfect, however mankind not so much. We were created in the likeness of the Trinity with an added bonus that no other form of creation was given. We were given the opportunity to freely choose in every arena of life. We get to choose whether we will surrender or remain independent of Him, acknowledge His sovereignty or deny it, live wisely or foolishly, suffer or dominate, forgive or refuse to forgive. This list of options in which mankind gets to choose from is exhaustive. Therefore, what is left to do at one juncture in our lives is to acknowledge that there is an appointed time to live and to die.

Death for some does not mean suffering, torment and/or an eternity apart from our Father. Death means an immediate transfer from one world to another. It means, mission accomplished with a welcoming party to accompany our entrance. It also means we have the privilege of reaping rewards for deeds done on behalf of our Lord while on earth. It symbolizes the appointed hour has come for the chosen one who said YES to the call on their soul from God.

Reflection can alter the course of a person’s life and ultimately their eternity.

I often ask myself, why don’t more people take the time to reflect on their lives and the results of it? I’ve only come up with the possibility that most people would rather not know about eternity than to accept that there is one. It’s like the family discussion about wills, estate management, power of attorney and inheritances. It’s a discussion that most people simply do not want to have for fear or acknowledgement of the unknown or an inability to actually communicate the hidden unexplainable desire to never leave this earth.

For the believer in Jesus Christ, leaving this earth is one of the best gifts he or she can ever receive. Death becomes an ushering in from one realm to another versus a sad reflection of life void of their presence. It is actually a glorious time. But for the unbeliever or person who never made the commitment to live for Jesus Christ, it is much more different. What awaits this individual is incomprehensible and rarely discussed in public settings anymore.

I like the topic of reflection simply because it gives my soul an opportunity to release to God everything that has been stored up, buried, hidden and even what refuses to come out any other way. God did not create mankind to be silos. Each person was created to be dependent upon Him with regular communion with a good good Father. He never expected men and women to walk this earth in a lonely state of being or independent of Him. It’s when we are without Him that we step away from the benefits of His covering. A covering that covers a multitude of sin, hardships, suffering, confusion, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, and a host of other damaging results of a life without God’s covering.

During my times of reflection, I ask the Father a host of questions. I take the time to unload my childlike heart in the form of questions which could not be answered by anyone else except Him. Tears or no tears, the Holy Spirit is always right by my side with His comfort, assurance and responses. He encourages me to ask more questions, inquire more, dig deeper, think higher, dream bigger and even laugh as much as I can. Yes! He loves when we laugh. Laughter truly does heal the soul of ailments which life plagues us with.

So, I will end the way I began by asking, what must a soul do to reflect? What must happen in or around your life for you to take a moment of solitude alone with God to reflect? Is the silence deafening, is that why you don’t reflect? Is there too much distraction among you to sit quietly for a few moments to reflect? I want to encourage you to separate yourself from what is keeping you from reflecting this week. You may want to reflect on why God allowed you to be birthed in the age you were born in. Perhaps, why you are not living in a third world country with limited sources of food, shelter, safety and even education. You can even reflect on why you were born with eyesight and can read this posting while thousands of others were not given the gift of sight.

Whatever you decide is worth reflecting upon, I urge you to reflect and do so with Jesus. You may not know Him personally but I am here to tell you He is alive and deeply desires you to know Him personally. He laughs. He dances. He cries. He speaks. He sings. He is Love and His love covers all sin and anything else that keeps you from living an abundant life. So…if you say Ciara, I’m that person who needs some of this Love that Jesus offers to heal me, protect me, restore me and even help me remember what laughing feels like. I have great news!! In the privacy of your reflection moment you can invite Jesus to sit with you and pour out all that you would not do with someone that might judge you harshly. He will sit and listen. He will even offer you many pardons, pardons that you will feel immediately in the form of peace and relief. Yes. He will do that because He loves you more than you can comprehend or imagine.

If you’re reading this post and perhaps have never given Jesus the opportunity to become Lord, Savior, Healer, Redeemer, Restorer I invite you to say a few words. These words can be recited from your lips yes, but they become binding when spoken from your heart. Your heart connects with His and immediately there is forgiveness of your sins, your name is written down in The Book of Life as described in the book of Revelation, you become acquainted with Jesus the Savior and your life as you know it, changes forever. If this is you, please take a moment to say these words from your heart:

“Jesus I want to know you, not of you. I would like to have a moment of reflection with you and acknowledge I’ve done life my way for far too long. I invite you to be my Savior. Be my Lord. Guide me in truth and assurance. I repent of my sins and do not desire to keep living life without you. I don’t know how to live for you but I want to try. I want to know you so I can trust you. I welcome you into my heart and accept your sacrifice for me. I want to get to know you as the Son of God while learning my true identity in you. Help me Jesus, to let go of control of my life and be vulnerable in you. I need you in every part of my life. I surrender to you today in Jesus name, Amen.”

God bless you as you take time to reflect!

Ciara Leilani

http://www.ciaraleilani.com