[Consider] God's gifts to me. God creates me out of love and desires nothing more than a return of love on my part. So much does God love me that even though I turn away and make little response, this Giver of all good gifts continues to be my Saviour and Redeemer (Spiritual Exercises 234).
And consider this... God is nuts about you! Do you know that? Do you feel that?
So often our feelings and faith are swayed by circumstances of our lives, many of which make us feel less than lovable. The discipline of prayer and these spiritual exercises is a way for us to get our hearts and minds in front of God's love and grace, almost like putting ourselves in a shower. The flow is there all the time, but it doesn't impact us unless we stand unders the spray. In essence these exercises are a way of making ourselves present to God, which helps us experience more significantly his presence to us.
Using Lectio Divina (See sidebar from Welcome for instructions) pray through the following Scripture passages:
Psalm 139
Hosea 11:1-14
Questions to Reflect On:
1) What are my memories of being loved and cared for throughout my life?
2) How has being loved allowed me to glimpse God's intimate love and desire for me?
3) Being loved is an invitation to conversion and transformation. What happens inside me when I try to imagine (and image) a God who is crazy and passionate about me?
4) How does being loved by God spill over and effect other areas of my life?
If you have time...
Write a spiritual autobiography (see sidebar for some helpful questions to consider)
Click on Comments to view Pastor Mike's Reflections and to make comments of your own
1 comment:
I want to comment on the passage from Hosea. Hosea 11 uses the imagery of a father calling to his Son. As I reflected on that I wondered why motivates a father to call for his son, and also what motivates a child to run from a calling father?
My relationship with my two young sons was a helpful way to gain some insight. First, the primary reason I call my sons is simply to show them love, to be near them and in relationship. I often just want to give them a hug. now of course there are other reasons I might call them, but each reason (even discipline and reprimand) is motivated by my desire to express my love to them.
As they grow up I know that my expression of love for them will expand. I'll still hug them and kiss them (if they let me), but I'll also include them in the things I do, and I'll want to be included in the things they're doing. God's call to me is like this, forever wanting to express his love in ever expanding way.
But like Israel and like my kids sometimes I run from the call. My kids run from my call, because they like the chase. They want me to run after them and catch them. Recently, I think this has been why I've avoided intimate prayer times with God. I've wanted him to come after me and catch me. I'm testing the extent of God's love. "If I go here will you come after me. If I go there will you catch me. Will you be in my corner." Psalm 139 answers yes. But I need the assurance sometimes.
I also reflected on question 3 -- what happens in side me when I try to imageine a God who is crazy and passionate about me?
I think my soul does the dance of joy.
When I come home from work my son Nate (who has autism and doesn't speak... yet) gets this huge grin on his face as I walk up the front walk. By the time I get to the front door his feet just tart going a mile a minute, dancing and leaping around. That's a little bit like what it feels like to know that God is crazy about me. It frees my soul to thankfully respond in prayer, in praise, in loving others better in return. It restores my blurred vision too. I can somehow see the world more clearly, perhaps closer to the way God sees it -- broken, but being redeeemed, and worth the effort.
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