Lent Guide 2023Sample

Friday – The invitation to reconnect

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

(Ephesians 2:10)

Constantly trying to make ourselves good enough can lead to a kind of narcissism in which we rarely find the time and space to be in touch with the deeper movements inside and around us. We will only discover our inherent goodness and dignity, the fact that we are God's handiwork when we make time and space to notice what is moving beyond the surface.

A friend recently described the anxiety they experience when there is no power, and it is dark. I asked what the catalyst for the anxiety was. After a brief reflection, they responded by saying that they felt insecure in the dark because they did not know what was happening around them.

This is a metaphor for our spiritual lives too. When we are unaware of what is happening around us and within us, we can quickly feel insecure within ourselves and about ourselves. If we do not give ourselves the time and space to get in touch with the deeper movements within, we can easily retreat into feeling that we are not good enough and don't have anything to offer. We lose touch with the deepest part of ourselves and live insecurely on the surface. Like the ends of a rope, our inner lives become frayed, and we lose touch with our inherent dignity and goodness made in the image of God.

Lent is a God-given opportunity to reclaim our worth by being in touch with the deepest part of ourselves. Lent invites us to rediscover what we may have allowed slipping away in the busyness of life. We will discover that we are always good enough if we respond to this invitation.

In the seemingly endless chaos and confusion, competitiveness and rush, we are anchored within ourselves, and the insecurity around us does not second-guess our inherent goodness. On the contrary, we can hold onto the fact that we are good enough because we are secure in God.

Exercise:

How aware are you of the deeper movements within you and around you? Are there parts of your life that have become frayed? Can you name them? Take time and space today to reconnect with your deeper self. Speak to God about what is in your heart now.

Grace:

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)