lent: hunger
For what do you hunger? For what do you hunger most?
Food. Water. Affirmation. Acceptance. Pleasure. Comfort. Community. Christ.
For each I found myself longing. For many I found some previous disappoint lingering alongside that longing. It seemed a risk to admit that any had such an influence over me that I would say I "hunger" for it. Hunger admits my need. My dependence. My incompleteness.
To face our discomfort . . . feeling small . . . ignored . . . troubled by change . . . heaped with sin . . . sitting in silence waiting for God to speak . . . there is much hunger in our discomfort.
To face our comfort . . . love of another . . . the care of God . . . Immanuel . . . strength in weakness . . . being humbled . . . being lifted up . . . there is much hunger in our comfort.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! – Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
There was a day I died: died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to approval or blame even of my brethren or friends, and since then, I have studied only to show myself "approved unto God."– George Mueller
We must make humility the chief thing we admire in (Jesus), the chief thing we ask of Him, the one thing for which we sacrifice all else. – Andrew Murray, Humility
2 comments:
That's a really interesting George Mueller quote. I've found this Lenten season rather bland so far -- I gave up small purchases in the caf, somewhat unprayerfully. Perhaps I focused too much on doing something that I'm supposed to, rather than recognizing the purpose.
I struggled with the beginning of Lent as I was alone in it. My church does not do anything for Lent. I have found that part of the beauty of Lent is the communal experience.
I struggled also with the purpose. I have wrestled each day with why I blog my experience and the desire to be heard or recognized as having something significant to say. It has been a sweet desolation to have no comments on these posts. This has increasingly been an experience shared with Jesus alone.
I struggled with failure in my fast, as I blogged about today. Here I am still wrestling with the readiness of Jesus with forgiveness.
As one friend said that the prospect of being made straight (see Isaiah 40) for Jesus to be Lord is a scary one. The areas of my life that are high and lifted up, are humbled. The ares of my life that are deep and dark are brought up into the light.
It has been a good season so far!
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