For my journey this Lenten season, I am reading Henri Nouwen's book SHOW ME THE WAY: READINGS FOR EACH DAY OF LENT...
I ordered it from Amazon on Sunday and PTL -- it arrived TODAY [on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent 2009]...
Could not wait to dive into the book tonight...
I can so identify with Nouwen's words: "I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, human respect, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life."
Lent is a season of mourning over our brokenness, sins and falling short...
But, there is a danger in focusing too much on our SIN...
Nouwen says that our guilt "can lead to so much introspection that we direct our eyes to it rather than God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord. The real question is 'are we like Judas, who was so overcome by his sin that he could not believe in God's mercy any longer and hanged himself, or are we like Peter who returned to his Lord with true repentance and cried bitterly for his sins?' The season of Lent, during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance, helps us in a special way to cry out for God's mercy."
Hope you will join me in this spiritual journey toward Easter 2009...
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Both blogs on Lent were meaningful to me. The quote from Nouwen about Jesus speaking to us and the blog about turning to God and his mercy were encouraging and insightful. In my devotions yesterday, I read about Judas betraying Jesus. I wondered if I too could betray Jesus by listening to voices from within—like living my life by my vision, dreams, ambitions, and so forth—rather than by listening and responding to the voice of Jesus. As you said in your blog, taking time to listen to Jesus will benefit our lives by bringing us into true life and will enable us to discover that God is merciful even though we may have been listening to our own “voices.” From this, I will endeavor to hear God’s voice of forgiveness, clemency, and kindness.
ReplyDeleteReady for the Columbia next trip down???
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