How can we rid ourselves of false concepts that keep us from growth and instead make way for 
truth that sets us free?
We subconsciously keep people (and God) out of our hearts and rather focus on the on the outward.
Jesus said to the disciples, “Do you not yet understand?” (Mark 8:21) after they floundered to get a spiritual lesson out of a physical truth. Their focus and false ideas blocked them from “getting” truth.
As a little girl at Catholic Church for Ash Wednesday, I was given a vivid reminder of my mortality, but didn’t get it. “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust” they said as a cross was inscribed on my forehead. The outward markings didn’t permeate my heart until many years later when I met God and saw my own self-deceit in a whole different place. (Isn’t it interesting how we often meet God in a different place from our origins that seem to get stale and hold little meaning until we’re awakened?)
The inner matters of the heart are what God is after. So whether you lent or don’t lent, 🙂 take a good look at your heart and let go of excuses not to.
“Lent is a time to let go of excuses for failings and shortcomings; a time to stop hanging on to whatever shreds of goodness we perceive in ourselves; a time to ask God to show us what we really look like.”
Bread and Wine
We say things in our hearts that if we would linger and listen we might get some insight into our questions.
King Jereboam in an effort of self-protection and control said in his heart, ‘if this happens, I die so I must take control’ (my paraphrase)…and it didn’t end up very well (1 Kings 12:26- 13). What we say in our hearts drowns out truth and exposes our strategies to make our lives work to our advantage.
Lack of recognition of our own brokenness can block us from moving on in truth. Here’s a difficult prayer:
That’s a prayer I’m not sure I want to pray! Unless I really want growth…
“The man who can articulate the movements of his inner…life need no longer be a victim of himself, but is able slowly and consistently to remove the obstacles that prevent the Spirit from entering.” Henri Nouwen
Soul Exercise:
Plan some time to sit before God and ask yourself, “What am I really saying in my heart?”
Write down what you find.
God will not be surprised but rather quite inviting.