3 Mar 2016
We’re almost half way through Lent,
and Scripture today puts something of a test before—kind of like a “mid-term
exam.” There is Jeremiah, speaking bold words, true words, honest
words—meant to ruffle feathers. And there is Jesus, again speaking
boldly, with truth and honesty about the situation—also to ruffle feathers.
The “test,” it seems, is to poke at
our conscience and see how “hard” or “soft” it is. Honest criticism does
that to us: it either ruffles our feathers and hardens our heart, or it shines
on us like the morning sun and keeps our heart soft. If a prophet were to
say to us: “You fail to listen to the voice of the Lord,” I
imagine our response would be mixed.
One person might be offended and
say, “I do not fail—I try all the time!” And a second person might
say, “You’re right; sometimes I do fail to listen; thanks be to God,
though, not always.” It’s the same response, but the first is with
a still hardened heart, and the second is with a softer heart. And that
second person might score an “A” on this mid-term exam, and the first might
score a “C."
Perfection in holiness doesn’t earn
the “A”—a supple and humble heart does. As we go into the second half of
Lent, it’s good to consider what honest critiques the Lord might make about our
own Lenten practices. The test, though, is how we respond to his voice.
Do we take it in like a breath of fresh air, or do we shut it out? What
kind of a “grade” would you give your own spiritual growth as we enter
the “mid-term” of Lent?
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