Daily Quiet Time Helps Us See and Be Reflections of God’s Mercy
Vanessa Bonilla
I grew up in a home full of mirrors. Before I was born my mom worked at a mirror warehouse and brought back many mirrors to fill the walls in every room. From the minute we woke up until the end of the day my family and I had access to our reflections, and we loved it!
For people visiting on the other hand, it was strange, they were very uncomfortable with constantly looking at themselves. They couldn't understand why we were so comfortable with always seeing our reflections. For us, it was the ability to know if there was food in our teeth, if our hair was out of place, or if our clothes had a stain on them, and immediately remedy the issue revealed in the mirror’s reflection. I've encountered the same split between those who have a daily quiet time and live out what they learn, and those who do not.
Daily quiet time is like living in a home of mirrors. We get to walk into the different rooms of our personalities and internal emotions and see exactly what we look like in the light of God's love. When we do this regularly, we feel comfortable seeing things out of place because we recognize the opportunity to rectify it with the power of the Holy Spirit. When we only "visit" with God we become uncomfortable and feel judged. We get a wrong view of God and begin to feel condemned by our reflection. When we push past those lies and consistently seek out time with God we move into a space of comfort, trust, and the knowledge that seeing the parts out of place in us is solely to make us more into His image.
When I was a youngster, my reflection didn't motivate a need for change in me. I would just walk around knowing my hair was a mess or my shirt was ripped and continue on my merry way. James talks about this, he says "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:23-24 NIV) I wouldn't remember what I saw in the mirror until a kid at the playground would point it out and ridicule me, and it was those hurtful words that would initiate a change in me. Daily quiet time gives us the space to change before the enemy comes to try and tear us down or destroy us. When the Lord points out our weaknesses it is to build us, when the enemy does it, it's to break us.
When we instead choose to "... look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it—not forgetting what we have heard but doing it—we will be blessed in what we do." (James 1:25 NIV)
What a promise! We have a guarantee, that spending time with God earnestly and eagerly, will never be a waste of our time.
The time we spend with God and His word also make us into a walking mirror, reflecting God's grace, mercy, and love to our families, friends, and neighbors. Our consistency reflects back to our children, who are developing in consistency, to stay encouraged. Our confessions of weakness reflect the safety of Christ’s community to those who are afraid to commit to the body. Our joy reflects the hope of Jesus in our hearts to those looking for relief from the pressures of life. We can help others with the specks in their eyes because we have done the hard work of removing our planks in the safety of daily, quiet devotion to our Lord.
"As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart" (Proverbs 27:19 NIV) Let us reflect a heart committed to daily quiet time, transformation, renewal, and obedience to God and His word.
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Vanessa Bonilla lives with her husband, Eli, in Brooklyn, NY where she homeschools their five children. Vanessa is also the Children’s Director at her church, and she loves fire pits, friends, and spending time with her family. |