Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Hope you are keeping warm! Yesterday afternoon I found a jar full of ingredients for Friendship soup outside our door as a gift. I didn’t waste any time and made the most delicious soup on a cold day that warmed our insides!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How honest and open are we with our souls? Do we hide from ourselves and others or do we feel safe to uncover our fears and insecurities and doubts? I think it is quite refreshing to be around people that admit where they fall short and are real and vulnerable with others. It is easier to hide, not just from others but even from ourselves and God. We too often protect ourselves and put up barriers which block the grace of God to flood our hearts.
Perhaps we don’t want to be like the Pharisees that wanted to look good but were not honest about their hearts. They saw in others what they would not admit in themselves. When we do that and aren’t willing to see what is in our deeper level, we lose connection with ourselves. We all need God’s grace to give up our self-protection and become vulnerable and aware of what is inside.
As we are vulnerable, we will find that we will experience love and joy and hope for we become authentic and real. There is depth to our lives, and we are also better able to accept others for who they are…not perfect but real. I like the quote by Thomas Merton that I read: “The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”
Let us not hide who we are but be our authentic selves, even with all our flaws for we know we have a God who loves us so much to give His life for us. He wants us to be who He created us to be and to love others for who they are. It takes courage to be vulnerable, but only then can we grow and be transformed more into His image. God may also provide us with a spiritual director or caring friend who will listen well to us and help us discern and encourage us and hear our confession. When we don’t cover up but acknowledge what is in our hearts, He forgives us. (Psalm 32:5) and we are set free.
Challenge for today: Honestly share with a safe person something you are struggling with.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
I finally got this post. Yes I agree. Its hard to love our loved ones when we know they are living in sin. We want God’s best for them and not obeying God is not God’s best. Take care.