Why I’ve Started Ending My Day in Reflection

Taking time to look back on each day…

Aaron Charles
6 min readOct 11, 2018

A recent speaker at my local church talked about the importance of thankful reflection. He presented a practice called The Examen — a prayer aimed at looking back over a specific time period. It was a powerful experience, but I have to be honest.

I didn’t really think it was something I’d factor into my daily life.

While I always start my day with a time of Bible reading and prayer, I’ve never really gotten into a practice of reflection or meditation. I’ve tried it in short snippets before, but I guess I haven’t really ever given it a fair shake besides that.

About a week after that church gathering, I decided to try it out. A friend of mine had sent me an email with a link to an audio guide for The Examen, and I decided to try it out.

Right now I’m in the early stages. Building new rhythms and habits is always difficult, but I’m inclined to see this through. Why? Let me tell you…

Exhaling

Do you ever feel that when you get to the end of a work day your body is just tense all over? I feel that way sometimes. Or maybe there’s a family situation that’s weighing on me. Or a friend that I haven’t reached out to. Or a section of my book that I’ve been…

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Aaron Charles

Christ-follower. Husband to @SarahLCharles. Simple moments hold great power. Connect with me at my website: www.aarondcharles.com