"Imprison me within Thine arms,
And strong shall be my hand."
- George Matheson
Dean Hall, in his sermon today, spoke of our desire to be forgiven and reconciled for what we have done and our simultaneous desire to keep on doing exactly what we've been doing that led to our seeking forgiveness in the first place. Folks, it's a trap! While recognition of our wrong-doing is a good first step, if we stop here, we have not changed. We need to submit our will to God - "thy will, not mine be done" and be willing then to seek out and do God's will. Yes, this means being open to change - changed thoughts, actions, changed selves.
On Ash Wednesday, I wasn't ready to go here, but today, in light of some readings for my Spirituality for Ministry class, I feel it is time. Service and submission have received some really bad press from our society - dare I say it? - our narcissistic society. We want a path to self-actualization that does not involve effort on our part. We want to be fine just as we are. Well, friends, it just ain't that easy. . . but imagine the freedom if we are willing to travel this path. . .
Comments
America[ns], in general, has a problem with submission of any kind. We're a pull yourself up by your bootstraps culture, and there is something to that for sure. But we are called to walk humbly too. Reconciling humility with bootstraps is a tall glass of water to drink.
-R