Lent: Day 15

So, I really must take this opportunity to praise You Lord. Yesterday I wrote how I was feeling a lack of worth in the things that I do, and it was causing me to have all sorts of shame and doubt. So, yesterday I jumped on the elliptical machine for my normal hour run, and I turned on a Mars Hill podcast. In the teaching, the preacher (Tim Green) was noting what one of his friends said about when the devil attacks you with the things we do wrong, the ways we are worthless, and so on. My ears perked right up, because, as I've said, that has felt like me. How did he say we are supposed to respond?

"That is irrelevant."

It doesn't matter that I fail a billion and one times throughout my life. I am God's son and he is pleased with me. It's amazing how this takes me all the way back to this past summer, when I was reading Sacred Rhythms, and Ruth Haley Barton suggested in the book that we should each develop a breath prayer, that we say throughout the day. It can be calming and encouraging. So, I prayed about that one day while I ran, and the prayer I came up with was, "This is my son, I am well pleased."

Like a dope, I gave it up after a week. I always do that. It's fun and exciting at the beginning but so hard to follow through. So now here I am almost a year later needing that exact prayer. You know me well...and today I am full of praise for that!

Your son,
Matthew.