Spiritual reflection for believers in Jesus is the process of thinking, pondering, and reflecting on biblical teachings, Scripture, and/or sermons. Psalm 119:15 explains, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”
Spiritual reflection
- transforms our spiritual life
- matures our faith
- improves nursing practice by applying God's Word (Kofoed, 2011).
Christian nurses can go deeper with spiritual reflection through continuous prayer or contemplation. Contemplation—the action of looking thoughtfully at something for an extended time--brings quietness of the mind, openness of the spirit, and softness of the heart experienced during prayer. Contemplation moves prayer into the moments, the minutes, and the hours of our day (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
How can we do this? Daily, make God a priority and place oneself in a position to learn. The New Testament author, Luke, recorded how Mary, a woman in whose home Jesus was a guest, sat at Jesus’ feet to listen intently to him (Luke 10:33-42). Jesus commended Mary’s choice to listen and absorb his words.
This intentionality is experienced “in hearts entirely surrendered to the Lord Jesus, in hearts separating themselves from the world, and even from ordinary religious exercises, and giving themselves up in intense prayer to look to their Lord,” wrote Andrew Murray in Absolute Surrender (1895).
Our prayer becomes a time to relinquish ourselves to God for his purpose (Matthew 6:10). This openness or reflection “can awaken in one's soul the capacity for deep concentration and insight”, expressed nurse Kamalini Kumar in the Journal of Christian Nursing.
Quieting our minds can be challenging, both personally and professionally. Try to
- make time to listen, ponder, and reflect during daily devotional and prayer time
- spend several days on a single verse or short passage, marinating or musing on the content—gleaning the richness of the wisdom of God (Psalm 119:27, 97, 148)
- meditate on phrases from a favorite liturgy, prayer, hymn, or reading
Imagine the outcome when we purposefully implement Scripture into our lives (James 1:22-25)!
Also, purposefully listen during times of prayer. “Be still and know that I am God,” counseled psalmist and God-worshipping King David in Psalm 46:10. Moments of silence open our spirit to hear the Holy Spirit's guidance (John 14:26).
Many of us are not naturally quiet and still, myself included. Implementing daily space for silence and listening takes time, commitment, practice, and patience. “The simple act of coming before the Lord in prayer, in whatever way we are able at a particular time, is a spiritual activity worthy of His blessing,” wrote nursing professor and author of many books on spirituality in nursing, Mary Elizabeth O’Brien.
Our heart’s interaction with God, directed by the Holy Spirit, overflows into our nursing practice. Guided by God, our hands graciously extend, our hearts soften to empathize and listen while our words soothe and guide. Biblical reflective practices quiet the mind. Contemplating God, Scripture, and God’s work in the world can transform relationships with others and ourselves, according to Kumar. Neither the environment nor the people have changed; we have.
O'Brien pointed out that “It is only in prayer, however, that I can become free enough to be used by God's purpose instead of my own, that I can become secure enough to accept personal emptiness, in order that I may be filled with His love.” The relinquishing, the silence, and the focus come from an intimate relationship with God, forged through times of prayer and devotion.
Refocusing and regrouping throughout the day can reset our minds on the Holy Spirit's purpose, gleaned from our earlier prayer space (Philippians 4:8). We start to experience the reality in Psalm 119:103: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Spiritual reflection, coupled with contemplation, invites the Holy Spirit into our personal and professional lives through a purposeful, focused prayer life, devoted to bringing God with us into the moments, hours, and days of our Christian and nursing journey.
Carrie M. Dameron, MSN, RNBC, CNE, is director of the registered nurse program and associate professor of nursing at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA. She blogs at www.nurses4him.org.
This article was published originally in the Journal of Christian Nursing.
Explore opportunities and resources for personal spiritual formation and spiritual care in nursing: Nurses Christian Fellowship website.
