Mid-Year: Reflections

Luke 12:27 (NIV), "Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." 

Now that we are in the month of July, the year is half over. As you go through days, reflect on what the last six months have held for you and what the next six months might bring.  

Proverbs 27:19 (NIV) tells us, "As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart." 

Here are a few questions for you to consider as you visit the last six months. 

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that who so ever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." 

1 Do you have a relationship with the Lord? If you do, is your relationship a strong one, or are there areas you might want to adjust? If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, how is your life going right now? Jesus doesn't take the hurt away, but He sure makes it better for you to travel the heartaches of life with Him, rather than without. Consider asking Jesus to come live in your heart by admitting you're a sinner and repent, ask Jesus us forgive you, and invite him to lift you up out of the earthly pit of the world. 

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  

2 Have you set goals for the year? Have you achieved them? Have you accomplished what you set out to do? If you have met the goals you have set, consider making a new goal or goals for the rest of the year.

1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 

3 How are your relationships with your friends, family, and community? Are those relationships healthy and thriving or are they fractured? Are any of these relationship's in need of healing and repair? Or maybe you have been busy and you might want to strengthen a few relationships?

3 John 1:2, "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." 

4 How is your health - physically, mentally/emotionally, and spiritually? Do you get your wellness exams regularly to ward off health problems? In our hurried world, do you take time for yourself and be still - to listen and hear the Lord speaking to you? Do you take time to enjoy nature and being outdoors? 

1 Corinthians 12: 4-6, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributed them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord."

5 Are you using your spiritual gifts given to you from the Lord? Do you know what special gifts God has bestowed upon you? Everyone has the gifts the Lord has given; and we are to use them to help others, serve in all ways, and fulfill the purpose in which they are given. 

I hope these questions will help you reminisce about the last six months of 2026 and you can celebrate what you have accomplished. Hopefully, you are trying to have the best year possible, and remember that we all experience heartache, disappointments, and problems. But it's much easier to get through it all when we are walking with the Lord. 

I wish you many blessings through the next six months of 2026. Christmas will be here before we know it!