A Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 4

December 3, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation |

a-mile-in-my-shoes.jpgToday I want to conclude the review of Trevor Hudson’s wonderful little book “A Mile in My Shoes.” Thus far I have shared briefly from chapter 1, chapter 2 and chapter 3.

In chapter 4 Hudson emphasizes the necessity of reflecting on life’s experiences. While this is the shortest chapter in the book, I found Hudson’s call to serious reflection in this chapter to be the most important. He writes:

I [am] firmly convinced that, unless we value and practice reflection, little personal transformation occurs. Unreflected-upon experience seldom yields its life-giving secrets. Too many of us work and live without reflection, without gaining any objective perspective on our behavior or any understanding of why we do what we do.

Think of how often we make the same mistakes, repeat the same destructive behavioral patterns without ever pausing to look at what may be taking place in our lives. Only when we stop to reflect upon these experiences and extract their hidden insights do we open ourselves to the possibilities of real change.

I think Hudson’s assessment here is correct. We typically live such hurried, chaotic lives that we seldom have time to reflect on life’s experiences. How can we hear God speaking and uncover life changing insights if all our time is filled with noise and activity? 

Hudson suggests three particular activities to facilitate a reflective lifestyle, both on a “pilgrimage of pain and hope” (as discussed in earlier posts) and in our daily lives: keeping a pilgrim journal, structuring a daily time of solitude, and sharing our experiences with one another.

I am curious to know what place solitude/reflection has in your present way of life?

What do you do to allow significant time to reflect on your daily experiences? What might you suggest to others?

What commitments are you willing to make to create time to reflect individually and with others?

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  1. books » Blog Archive » A Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 4 December 3, 2007 6:03 am

    [...] Sheldon: The Daily Comic Strip by Dave Kellett wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptA Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 4 December 3, 2007 | Filed Under spiritual formation, books | No Comments [IMG a-mile-in-my-shoes.jpg]Today I want to conclude the review of Trevor Hudson’s wonderful little book “A Mile in My Shoes.” Thus far I have shared briefly from chapter 1, chapter 2 and chapter 3. In chapter 4 Hudson emphasizes the necessity of reflecting on life’s experiences. While this is the shortest chapter in the book, I found Hudson’s call to serious reflection in this chapter to be [...]