The Gift of Others

"Our prayer, our fasting, and our almsgiving is to be done before God and not for the approval of one another -- although we can give and gain support from each other in our Lenten efforts. So at home, in school, in whatever company you keep, encourage each other to mark this Lent as well." ~ Archbishop Vincent Nichols

I'm observing Lent this year. Not as a way to try to make God pleased with me, but as a constant reminder of my desire to continue to surrender to God. I'm using a small book, Small Surrenders, by Emilie Griffin to help guide me in this journey. The above quote was in the reading for yesterday.

I was struck by the words "give and gain support from each other." Over the past year, I've faced a radical shift in the way that I view God. In many ways, I believe that God has enabled me to tear down a number of false beliefs. This has been incredibly scary for me; at times I didn't know how I would survive some of the feelings I encountered as I began to shift my understanding of God.

But God (one of my favorite phrases, by the way), placed people in my life to give support for my journey. These people, none of them perfect, walked along side of me. They encouraged me to rest, to wait, to be patient with myself. They reminded me that God loved me passionately, even on the days when I felt my worst.

And to my great amazement, they are still here. They've seen me, the ugly me, the one I try to hide. And they love me, too. I can't quite believe that, but there are too many signs that say it is true.

So as I entered into this season of Lent, where my primary desire is to consciously let down my defenses against the grace of God, I want to invite others to join me in in the conversation. What defenses have we built up to protect ourselves from the fear of a life lived out of who God says we are? I know I have many . . .