Day 3/February 19 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less.”
“Get out of your own way!” may be some of the best advice we ever hear, especially when the thought originates between our own ears. This is true for overthinkers, but applies to us all. As we commit more to others and less to ourselves, we know exactly what happens: our pings, pangs and problems may not disappear but do diminish. As we consider Christ more and more, and this is a process not a victory, we do become less and less. Becoming less and less of ourselves IS a victory.
The hymn, “Not I, but Christ,” is a prayer, mantra, and destination. Lyrics from the first verse frame Christian thought and practice. “Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard. Not I, but Christ, in every look and action; not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.”
TRY IT: In look (outlook), action, thought and in word, get out of your own way. No one is perfect in this practice, but everyone can catch when thoughts are too much on self and not so much on our Savior.
Prayer: Lord, make us become more like you and less like us. Amen.
Day 2/February 18 Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
We begin something new with something old. The new are these 40 Lenten reflections. You'll find them here on our Facebook page during the 40 days of Lent.
The old? This will be the ancient texts themselves inviting you into history. The scriptures will also invite you into the future, your future.
In a single verse, Hosea personalizes "your God" not once but twice. Identifying THE God of the ever-expanding universe as YOUR God is a tall order, but here on the second day of day of Lent (following Ash Wednesday), personalizing God, YOUR God? Yes. Kudos to Hosea. Kudos to you, too, because there is sticking power here. Even if your road is currently slippery, there is traction.
TRY IT: Return. Pick up where you left off. Find the existing conversation/s. Use the channel you knew. To go ahead, Hosea is saying here, start by going back.
PRAYER: Lord, sometimes the words to You feel old, routine. But I'll pick them up, maintain love and justice, and do this amazing thing with you — wait.