Look in the Mirror
*Reflect personally with others
*Engage in the change process
*Clarify your direction
Looking in the mirror is an especially significant turning point for many disciples. We all need to look in the mirror periodically to evaluate how things are going and where God may want us to go next. Sometimes we may look in the mirror and decide it’s best to simply continue our current cycle of ministry and involving others. Other times we may sense God leading us down a different path. Sometimes he may be calling us onward to leadership. The last four “footsteps of Jesus”—those that will be examined after this one—may not be for everyone and that’s fine. But they are necessary for some people and necessary for the church as a whole to be able to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Before I get into the process behind “look in the mirror,” a word of caution. We too often glorify leadership in our culture; that’s where we place our value. But what God places value on is obedience. What we need to do is become comfortable with who God has made us to be, do what he has called us to do, and do it to the best of our ability. That is all.
So how do we look in the mirror? We need to slow down enough to examine ourselves and reflect. Where are we now? What is going well? What’s not going well? What does God have for us next? To reflect well, we need to have people around us who will come alongside us and give us feedback. We need people who will be safe for us to share what’s really going on—including the things that aren’t so pretty. That can be a spiritual formation group, a life transformation group, a coach, or just some good friends. Out of those relationships and our reflections, we can engage the change process and discern what God may have for us next. What is the next season in light of where we are now?