Traveling often inspires me to reflect on my life at home. Getting out of my usual surroundings gives me a fresh perspective, and I come back determined to change…something. Organize my time better. Clean up my apartment. Give more attention to projects I keep putting off.

The more immediate changes often do get implemented, and as I settle back in, others fade away. Those remote plans don’t always work with the realities of life. The shift in perspective, however, lingers. It causes me to ponder why I wanted to make changes, in the first place. What about my regular day-to-day did I want to “fix”? Now that I’m back in it, do I still need to address those things? Can I find a different way that does work with reality?

I recognize in this the importance of ongoing reflection. Of observing my life from a proverbial distance. Acknowledging what is good, what needs improving, and that both of those are blessings. I think I’ll sit with that for a while. I invite you to join me here. We might be surprised by what we learn about ourselves. May we inspired by it, as well.

Blessings,
Pastor Tijuana