So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 11:27-30
Self-reflection normally becomes necessary when you reach a crossroads. It is essential to determine how your journey so far has been, what lessons you picked up along the way, how those lessons are going to help you move forward, what you need to improve to make your journey forward better, and most importantly, in which direction you are going in moving forward.
In this chapter, the church in Corinth is advised about its conduct. They are being reminded of the reason why they are a fellowship that is headed by Christ himself. They are also being criticized for the way they had conducted themselves up until then.
They were living for themselves even though the main reason why they found themselves in the church was that Christ sacrificed himself for all of them so that they may be saved by accepting him.
They were still focused on themselves rather than living as a family and sharing everything together. There was infighting within them and a focus on things that were not really essential to their calling and their fellowship with Christ.
Jesus’ Last Supper was used as an example to explain to the church how their past mistakes would only bring destruction to them if they proceeded to partake in that solemn remembrance act.
To take part in the Last Supper meant that you were spiritually one with Christ, which would be the reason why you would eat of his body or drink of his blood in remembrance of him. You cannot claim to be one with the body of Christ when your mind isn’t one with him. That becomes a lie and a sin to whoever claims so.
Before you decide to eat his body and drink his blood, make sure you have reflected on your past life and rightfully decided that you are worthy of this solemn remembrance event.
As a Christian, there comes a time when you must stop and reflect on how you have lived your life. This reflection must help you determine if you still qualify to be called a Christian or not. Is your life synonymous with a person who is one with Christ? Do you have the heart or mind of a Christian?
If this is not the case, then you must not proceed to do things that those who genuinely live for him and obey his commandments do. When there is a problem or fault with a car, it may run normally for a while before you know that there is an actual fault. It may come up when you are driving on a smooth road in a
6 Reasons why self-reflection is important
Perspective
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”
Proverbs 27:19
Self-reflection helps you look back at your life and study it to see how it has gone so far. Are you happy with the way you have lived? Are there some things you wished you could have done differently? Do you look back with more regrets than vindication?
It is a chance for you to put everything in perspective. At this time, you should know how well or poorly decisions you have made in the past have gone. It is a time to search your soul as a Christian and determine whether the way you have been living has been pleasing God, man, or yourself.
This is a very important reason to self-reflect. What fills your heart is what fills your life. If your heart is full of hate, you will live your life without forgiveness and exclude a lot of people from your life. This is not consistent with the mission of a Christian. Look back and see how things have gone so far and determine if you are happy with it, but most importantly, determine if Christ is happy with it.
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Self-assessment
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13
Before you can call yourself a Christian, you must be one hundred percent sure that you are one with Him. Self-reflection must cause you to assess your life to see whether you still qualify to be a Christian or if there is a need to rededicate yourself to Him. Knowing your status will help you decide how to move forward.
If you have been living like sinners do, then there is no way that you can confidently call yourself a dedicated Christian.
Self-assessment causes you to know categorically where you stand in Christ. In Christ, there should be absolutely no doubt of your commitment to Him. You should be very sure that if your life were to end today, you are going to join Him in paradise.
If you have any doubts about that in your mind, it may be time for you to reassess your life in Him and begin to put things right before you don’t have the chance to do so anymore.
Learning lessons
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:2-4
Another reason to self-reflect is to learn from your experiences in the past. All the things you go through teach you lessons that help you live in the future. The trials and tribulations that you go through as a Christian only strengthen you to overcome any more challenges that you face in the future.
When you reflect, you must remember every victory that the Lord has given you. These victories strengthen your faith to overcome even bigger challenges in your future. The things that kept you stressed in the past will no longer have dominion over you because of how God helped you overcome them.
You move forward with confidence and steadfastness because it reassures you that there is nothing that is too big for you to handle if you have the spirit of Christ and the strength of the Lord. Strengthen your faith always, and even though you might fall seven times, you will also rise each time and be even stronger.
Find your motivation
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Self-reflection helps you rediscover your motivation in Christ. Some Christians have lost their way and are not worshipping the Lord for selfish reasons. Some are in it because they want others to see them as holy. Some go to church to compete with others about who wears the best outfits. Some have lost the love in their hearts for others and simply go to show off to others.
Rediscover your love for Christ. Look back at why you needed him. Maybe you were on your knees when you found him. Maybe he helped rescue you from a very dark place in your life.
Remember the relief and joy you felt when you first encountered him and go back there. Reaffirm your faith in the Lord and get back the genuine motivations you had for following him in the first place.
God’s judgment will start from the church. This is because Christ is the head of the church and those in church are the ones who claim to love God above all else. If his love is not in your heart, he will not count you among his own.
Moving forward
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
Psalm 143:8
As stated in our introduction, self-reflection becomes necessary when the road ahead is unclear. When you don’t know where to turn next, it looks as though you are bereft of strength and motivation to proceed. When you don’t know where to turn next you do not trust your own judgment anymore because of what may have happened in the past.
Pray on it and put your trust in the Lord. Let him show you the way to go and guide you through it. Put your faith in Him and know that He will not steer you wrong. Let go of all the burdens and put them on Him. Stop worrying about what you will eat or where you will sleep and do what pleases the Lord.
Focus on living for Him and He will fight for you. Let Him know that you are serious about making disciples out of all nations and He will take care of the things you cannot. Choose your next path carefully and do not repeat the same mistakes you made in the past.
Past mistakes
As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
Proverbs 26:11
Learning from your mistakes means not repeating them moving forward. When you fall into a hole going in one direction, you do not expect to fall into the same hole coming back because you already know that you have to expect it. This is how you learn from your mistakes.
Repeating the same mistakes you made in the past means that you did not learn from the consequences of that mistake moving forward. You do not have to dwell in the past, but you have to learn from it.
Do not find yourself in the same trouble you were in the last time. If you do that, it would mean that you have learned nothing. When God saves you from one trouble, do not go back to it.
Reflections can sometimes make you realize if you are repeating the same mistakes or not. Sometimes you may be headed down the same old bad road, but you may be blind to it.
Pray to God to alert you when you are making a mistake so that he can save you from it. Never let your own selfish desires drive you to create trouble for yourself. Listen to the voice of God always and let it direct you away from evil.
