“Come, let us return to the LORD… he will heal us…let us strive to know the LORD… He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” – Hosea 6:1-6
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness… everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:9-14
This season of Lent, as we know well, is a time to “come back to [Him] with all our hearts.” But why? Why is there a need to do anything different? As a full-time Youth Minister, I can say that I am literally a professional Catholic. I can say I go to Church almost every day (because it is where I work). I minister to others and I am actively involved in my faith. Why would someone like me need Lent? Why not keep coasting? Well, because complacency is dangerous. It is a slowing down, if not a ceasing of growth. In fact, to do all that I do in ministry well, I absolutely need Lent. For me, Lent is an intentional season of checking in with God, of examining my heart, of being reminded that I NEED God. God is infinite, and so with that comes an infinite desire to grow closer and closer to us. There is no such thing as being “close enough” to God. He never stops wanting to draw us deeper.
God is the “spring rain” that waters the dry earth in my life. A plant that is living has never had enough water. You do not look at a tree or a flowering plant and say, “Okay, you’re bloomed, you’re tall enough. No more water for you.” Likewise, in order to continue to grow and bear fruit, in order for me to continue to minister well to teens, I need to be “watered” by God’s rainfall every day. How can I tell teens that they need God if I do not demonstrate my own need for Him in my life? #hypocrisy #pharisaical
Lent is a time to get in touch with our thirsting, our longing that only God can satisfy. I wrote a song a couple years ago called “Words Like Rainfall” about this very thirsting. I wrote it at a time when I felt a desperate need to be close to God, to truly feel Him with me. I invite you to listen to it and to reflect on your own longing for God.
How can I “strive to know the Lord”? What are the areas of dry earth in my life that long to be quenched by the spring rains of God? Where do I feel most complacent or stagnant? In what places in my life do I pat myself on the back or think, “yep I’m good enough”? How can I be open to God continuing to grow those places in my life?
Jessica Gerhardt
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness… everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:9-14
This season of Lent, as we know well, is a time to “come back to [Him] with all our hearts.” But why? Why is there a need to do anything different? As a full-time Youth Minister, I can say that I am literally a professional Catholic. I can say I go to Church almost every day (because it is where I work). I minister to others and I am actively involved in my faith. Why would someone like me need Lent? Why not keep coasting? Well, because complacency is dangerous. It is a slowing down, if not a ceasing of growth. In fact, to do all that I do in ministry well, I absolutely need Lent. For me, Lent is an intentional season of checking in with God, of examining my heart, of being reminded that I NEED God. God is infinite, and so with that comes an infinite desire to grow closer and closer to us. There is no such thing as being “close enough” to God. He never stops wanting to draw us deeper.
God is the “spring rain” that waters the dry earth in my life. A plant that is living has never had enough water. You do not look at a tree or a flowering plant and say, “Okay, you’re bloomed, you’re tall enough. No more water for you.” Likewise, in order to continue to grow and bear fruit, in order for me to continue to minister well to teens, I need to be “watered” by God’s rainfall every day. How can I tell teens that they need God if I do not demonstrate my own need for Him in my life? #hypocrisy #pharisaical
Lent is a time to get in touch with our thirsting, our longing that only God can satisfy. I wrote a song a couple years ago called “Words Like Rainfall” about this very thirsting. I wrote it at a time when I felt a desperate need to be close to God, to truly feel Him with me. I invite you to listen to it and to reflect on your own longing for God.
How can I “strive to know the Lord”? What are the areas of dry earth in my life that long to be quenched by the spring rains of God? Where do I feel most complacent or stagnant? In what places in my life do I pat myself on the back or think, “yep I’m good enough”? How can I be open to God continuing to grow those places in my life?
Jessica Gerhardt
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