There are two important questions to ask yourself for personal growth, and they are found in the Bible. Self Reflection is a must in the hard work of personal growth.
In Genesis 16 Abram’s wife Sarai cannot conceive a child so she gives her husband her servant Hagar so he can have a child through her. After Hagar becomes pregnant, she runs away when Sarai becomes upset. God appears to Hagar and asks her two very important questions that I believe are important for us all to answer in order to experience personal growth.
Two Important Questions To Ask Yourself
The first question is, “Where have you come from?”
Everyone of us has a past. Some have had a harder past than others, but no one gets through this life without some degree of hardships. The key to life is to not let what has happened to us define us. We’ve all heard the phrase “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it.” There is so much truth to this. For better or worse, our past is our past. Some things in our past are caused by us, but others we’ve had no control over. Self reflection helps us know that difference.
The good news is that no matter what your past was, it’s just that, it’s in the past! Today is a fresh start just as each new day is. That brings us to our second question that God asks Hagar.
The second question is, “Where are you going?”
No matter what your age, there is still a bright future ahead. Life doesn’t end with the death of a spouse, the departure of kids (empty nest), or the end of a marriage. In some instances, it can be the beginning of a beautiful new life. It’s important to look ahead and have a picture in our mind’s eye of what we want our life to look like one, five or ten years down the road.
What Then?
Once that future picture of your life is in place, start living life today to get you there. Self-discipline is something that I pray for daily in my own life. I can never finish the book I desire to write if I don’t have the self discipline to sit in the chair and write. That’s why daily, I sit and write. No, I don’t always work on my book, but I do try to write something each day.
If I want to be a healthier version of myself a year from now, I can’t eat junk and be sedentary a majority of the time. I have to have the self-discipline to cook healthy meals and make exercise a priority.
I encourage you as we end April and start May to do a personal inventory. Have a time of self-evaluation.
Where have you been? Do you need counseling to help deal with past traumas? Do you need to end a toxic relationship? Do you need to seek God’s forgiveness and in turn forgive yourself? Do you need to stop letting a hardship define your life?
Where are you going? What if the way you’ve lived the past year/month/week is an indication of what your future will be? What will your life look like in one, five or ten years? What might you need to do to change your future so that it looks more like the life you imagine for yourself? No, it isn’t easy to change bad habits, but it is certainly worth it.
Additional Resources
The Ultimate Goal Setting Process
Good thought provoking questions for personal reflection and growth.
Thank You!
These are all excellent questions. I do think as well, that sometimes people, ( like myself) can get caught up in how they were in the past, and it may set the basis for their future. We all learn and evolve, so the other questions are important to ask as well. I used to always get students ( I taught guitar) that were older adults, asking, “Am I too old for this…?”
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Yes! And we need to let the past go, but sometimes we have to deal with it to do so! Thanks for stopping by.
I absoutely LOVE the idea of praying for self discipline!!! That was my “word of the year” last year and it helped to keep me focused. This is an even better option… to call down the power of heaven. Love it. Great post!
Praying for God to help me with self-discipline has been a game-changer for me! I’m glad it helped.
I stumbled across your article by complete accident. My husband passed away unexpectedly last year. I’m trying so hard to press forward, into whatever life God is calling me into. It’s hard. It’s torture, to be honest. But, coming across your blog gives me hope. I’m so sorry for your loss. But, I’m grateful to know that I’m not alone. Thank you for that. God bless you abundantly.
Sara, I’m so sorry! I hope that you find some comfort in this space. I know it isn’t easy, but I’m living proof that there is Life After Loss. I’m glad you are hear.
Sharon