Sunday, March 17, 2013

A Pause in Lent - on Sunday for once!

I like what Ang said about this carving of Jesus - it's as if he's holding up his hand and saying, 'Hang on, stop and think about what really matters'! Betty also had some interesting information about the carving, when I posted about it last week - you can scroll down and find the post and comments easily, if you're interested.

So, here I am to hang on and think about what really matters! It's been quite a week - the family are fine but outside the home things have been quite difficult for friends and for Ben too. A week when I realised that God had drawn me towards last week's Pause in Lent quote for a reason. A week when I found myself repeating the words of a Methodist communion service: 'We are not worthy... but it is your nature always to have mercy, and on that we depend'. It's easier not to judge when you realise what a second ...(third/fourth...) chance you have been given yourself.

I also re-read my Simple Abundance book, and found a challenge that I hadn't really taken up before on the previous reads. It was to list ten things you like about yourself. The first list of ten was for your physical appearance. I'm quite vain so that wasn't too hard! But I was staggered to realise how hard it was to list ten things I like about my personality. I'm not a deeply unpleasant person, so there must be at least ten likable things about me, but blow me down, they were hard for me to think of! I'm not fishing for compliments here - instead, I issue you the challenge - write down ten things you like about yourself! I concluded that I spend a good amount of time thinking of how I'd like to improve/confessing, so it's valuable to get a balance and to also remember that God created us in his own image and saw that we were good!

6 comments:

Elderberry-Rob said...

I dug my Simple Abundance book out this morning! A colleague suggested I might think about giving, rather than giving up soemthing during Lent! so I got to thinking about the (anonymous)random acts of kindness which I posted about earlier in the year - now seems a perfect time to look for opportunities to put this into practice so that's my objective for this week, I think it will be fun. Bettyx

Angela said...

I have mislaid my SA book! Currently the thing I DISlike about myself is my habit of putting things down and not away.
Will work on a list of 10 positive things now.

thanks for this post xx

Jane and Chris said...

10 things! I am kind, but beyond that? This IS difficult.
Jane x

Sue said...

I found this a difficult task too when I read it in the Simple Abundance book.

magsmcc said...

Wouldn't it indeed be wonderful if we did live in the confidence and joy that comes from God seeing us as righteous because of Jesus? I'm going to tell you ten things that I like about you- your appreciation of the beauty of daily, utilitarian things (that's very William Morris); your openness to the opinions of others; your invitation to others to be joining you on your contemplative adventures; your creativity in coming up with contemplative adventures; your gathering of far-flung folk; your faith in human nature; your love of the natural world and its glories; your desire for God; your talent with words and images; your gentility and gentleness both xx

Unknown said...

I think magsmcc has you down to a T.

It is difficult to see those things in ourselves I think, we have it ingrained in us from childhood not to say positive things about ourselves in case it is boasting or being proud and so we end up going the other way - which is at least as bad, and often worse because it means we denigrate what God has said is good.