I came across this quote from the late 19th/early 20th century author H.G. Wells "If you fell down yesterday, stand up today." And it got me thinking about how we respond when we fall down or when things don’t go well for us or not how we expect things to go. Sometimes we may not try again, sometimes we may be a bit of a hippo and sit and dwell in the mud, other times we may dust ourselves down and try again or we may need someone else to pick us up and encourage us to try again.

From experience, I’ve found that life’s greatest growth often comes not from avoiding or tripping over the stumbling blocks, but from how quickly we choose to turn them into building blocks. We often don’t do that immediately, but when we take time to pause, take time to recover from the hurt or disappointment, and also reflect, we can allow ourselves to look back at the situation understanding what worked, what didn’t, and how we can move forward. Reflection isn’t about overanalyzing choices or reliving past mistakes. It gives us perspective, slowing down the chaos of daily life and helping us to reconnect with what truly matters.

Last month, when walking over to the church, I spotted a really lovely sight. There in the distance were two ladies sitting on a picnic blanket and chatting away under the shade of a tree. I went and said hello and they said that they were taking time to chat, reflect and pray in such a beautiful space. I told them that a month before I’d been exploring how the churchyard could be a space for reflection and look at how that helps our wellbeing as well as our journey with God. This was one of those times that I call Godincidence or when I notice God’s fingerprints on a situation.

Reflecting is about taking time to not rush or move on to the next thing, without sitting in a quiet space and asking God to help or even asking God to press the ‘reset button for our soul’. To step back, breathe, and reflect. The simple act of sitting down even just once a month with your Creator and allowing your thoughts to bubble up or wander can transform how you see yourself, the world and how very close God is in all of that.