Wednesday, February 29, 2012

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 51:16-17

     It seems we put a great deal of energy into trying to figure out how to please God.  We create lists of "shoulds" that will put us in God's grace...we "should" be at church every week, we "should" pray every morning, we "should" be grateful for everything we have.  And while all those things are good things to have and do, they will not earn us a place at God's table or earn us God's grace.  Our shoulds will never bring us peace they will only be bricks added to the wall that separates us from God.  Instead of leading us to who we are, they lead us to a belief of who we "should" be.  My friends, God does not want our deeds, God wants our hearts, minds, and souls.

     As humans, this means that God wants the broken parts too;  for there is not one among us who is not broken.  If we are living, we will be broken and scarred; for living means taking risks.  But that doesn't matter to God because God wants a relationship with us that is honest and real.  Our guilt and shame is not pleasing to God, our humble, honest, willing heart is what pleases God.  God wants us to bring our whole selves into the relationship so that our brokenness may be healed and be used to share the power of God's love and grace with our world.   Author Brennan Manning puts it this way "Anyone who God uses significantly is always deeply wounded. We are, each and every one of us, insignificant people whom God has called and graced to use in a significant way...On the last day, Jesus will look us over not for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars".

     Today, let us not hide from our brokenness but embrace it and bring it to God.  Let us make the conscious effort to remove the "shoulds" from our thinking and rest in the assurance that being who we are, at this moment, is enough. 

Prayer:  God of grace and mercy;   We are broken - heal us.  We are healed - use us.