As I have been reflecting on what we have been reading in the devotional and God's leading in these times, I have been questioning my openness to repentance, specifically, how open am I to repenting. Many times as I reflect, meditate and pray, I find that I am very open to encouragement, and very open to love, and very open to acceptance, but I seem to be dismissive of repentance.
Not so much as, I dismiss the importance of repentance, but more dismissing that I actually have things worthy of repenting. Maybe it's not that serious of an issue, I mean really, everybody complains from time to time right? Overindulging, i.e. gluttony, it's not I'm robbing a bank.
It's numbing.
It's reasoned away.
It's abusing the grace that I have been so generously given.
I have not lived with the tension of freedom in grace and devout living to my King.
Tension.
Someone recently commented, "Christianity is not about balance as much as it is about tension."
I have to confess, I haven't been living with tension lately. I've let freedom in grace slip into the indulging of pleasures. Stewardship slipping into greed. Honesty and authenticity slipping into using words that do not encourage or edify others.
In amidst of our hectic schedules, economic concerns, sports, entertainment, community, work, play, and fellowship, take a moment to reflect on repentance this Ash Wednesday.
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2 comments:
Who said that about Christianity? I have to say that I don't find tension at the FOM. It's really the opposite of tension. At least, this is how I felt right after I read this post. Then I reread the post a second time and I realized that maybe I missed the whole idea of tension. What is tension exactly? So, I looked it up. Here's what the dictionary says:
1. the act of stretching or straining.
2. the state of being stretched or strained.
3. mental or emotional strain; intense, suppressed suspense, anxiety, or excitement.
4. a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc.
I don't know that I want to think about my relationship with God as one of tension. As I read it, tension equates to stress, which later leads to health issues and requires medication. I really don't want to add that to my plate. However, if you consider the idea of being stretched in a state that isn't stressful, but one of excitement, that's more like the relationship I want with God. There are days when reading Solo gives me that feeling.
Great post Asher! You really got me thinking.
Great questions and comments Lisa. Stress to some degree is not unhealthy, for example stress from excercise or yoga, like in yoga the tension helps maintain healthy muscles, etc. But too much of anything is unhealthy, too much tension on a rope and it breaks. Too much stress and we become burdened. For me tension comes as resistence to the things I should not do, and do what is right. Another personal example of tension in my life is giving. I love giving to people, and sometimes I must realize and accept that I can't do it all, and then other times I want to give less so I can keep more for myself and feed my discontentment, in all of that I hold onto Jesus the taught rope holding my life up. Thanks for sharing! Hearing what God is doing in your lives is always an encouragement!
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