Lent Guide 2023Sample

Tuesday – Connection with yourself

Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all you soul, and all your mind. The is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbour as yourself.

Matt. 22:37-39

One of the things we notice from the story of the encounter between Moses and his father-in-law is that Moses loses contact with himself. He is overworked and had sent his wife and children to his father-in-law so that he could manage all his work. When his father-in-law decides to take his daughter back and sees how exhausted Moses is, he asks him why he does it to himself. Moses has placed the locus of control outside of himself and blamed the people. (Ex. 18:16). I wonder if he gained insight when he heard himself: “The people come to me to get a ruling from God.” (Ex 18:15). There is an ego need for acknowledgement and acceptance which drives him to say yes and prevents him from setting good boundaries by saying no. Even though his workload causes fatigue and pain, he gains something that he needs emotionally – acknowledgement from people. Through this meeting, he gained insight and his life changed. His life with his family changed.

Through this story, it looks as though…

Our connection with ourselves is related to our connection with others. We experience pain when our connections are damaged.

You are now invited to think about a time when you experienced deep connection – an encounter where you felt seen, heard, felt, and accepted. Think about the person, the place, and how you experienced it. How you felt, what you sensed, and what happened to you.

Thank Him for the experience and share your story with someone close to you.

Grace:

Lord, I ask for the grace of connection and dialogue in my relationships.