March Reflection
Once again, I’m working through Emily P. Freeman’s reflection questions at the end of the month. Thinking about these questions helps me spot growth and figure out what’s working in my life. I love being in a more deliberate practice of reflection.
Moments from March: New views in a familiar city.
Where did you see God in March?
Lately I have found myself praying all the time. When I see something beautiful, I say thank you. When I am stressed and tired, I ask for help. When I’m frustrated, especially when I feel like my anger is probably misdirected, I pray. My prayer is almost never complicated and in fact is sometimes just the name of Jesus. But when I pray, I often imagine how God might respond, and I remind myself of what I know about God and his character, which makes it easier to stay open to him and what he wants to tell me. I have seen God in my real-life circumstances through prayer.
Moments from March: Getting ready for my sister’s wedding.
Where did you feel most like yourself in March?
I get up earlier than necessary during the week, start the coffee, and sit down on the couch with my Bible and the Lectio 365 app. I read and pray and bring my breakfast back to the couch. I run through Instagram while I drink my coffee and catch up on the New York Times daily update. Then I write in my journal for a few minutes and, if all of this has gone quickly, read my book of the moment for a little while. It’s not so much time, but it centers me and lets me ease into the day while everyone else is still asleep. This little daily routine keeps me from being rushed and crazy in the morning and helps me start the day with things that feel like myself, especially in a month like March that was so very busy.
Moments from March: Our first basketball game of the season.
What is one word you’re holding on to as we move into April?
My OLW was notice, and it’s still guiding me this year. I get lost in my own head and forget to pay attention to the people and things around me. It’s a conscious effort to notice the needs that reveal themselves and to step into them to try to help.
Our son’s birthday was this week, and the day before, Joe said he would pick up a birthday banner, party plates, wrapping paper, and other miscellaneous items to prep for the day. He called me at the end of my work day from the store, a little overwhelmed by all the choices, and asking for specifics on what I wanted him to get.
I was busy, and I was grumpy. My first thought was frustration--why do I have to choose everything? He’s a grown man! In the past, I would have said some version of this to him. But this week, I tried to pay attention to what he was really worried about--that our son wouldn’t like his choices, and that I wouldn’t either. Party decorations are not an area that Joe feels like is his strength, and he was also frustrated. So I didn’t take his aggravation personally, and I reminded him that he always does a good job with this, however he feels about it, and I had complete faith in whatever he chose.
It’s not easy for me to listen to what other people are really saying sometimes, especially when I’m rushed and distracted, and I definitely get it wrong. But I’m hanging on to that word, notice, and I’m working on learning to do it every day.
If you are interested in this kind of reflection, Emily P. Freeman offers variations on them in her monthly newsletter, or you could try her guided journal, The Next Right Thing Guided Journal.
