Monday, March 2

A Spiritual Paradox, Psalm 25:4 How do you explain the word "paradox" to your children. When something seems it shouldn't be true, but you suddenly realize its true, that's a paradox. The clearest example of this in my life experience comes from the outdoor activity rappelling: walking down a wall while using a rope to keep from falling. Intuitively we try to walk like we're climbing down a ladder. But when we do that our feet slip off the wall and we smack our face against it. If we trust the rope and lean far back, so that our body is almost perpendicular to the wall, our feet press against it and stay where we want them. Our spiritual walk is very similar. Feeling far from God, may actually mean the Holy Spirit is right with us, reminding us of our need for him. When we feel the weight of our sin, most likely we are nearest to confession and forgiveness. What did Nouwen say? "We were innocent before we started feeling guilty; we were in the light before we entered into the darkness; we were at home before we started to search for a home." Lent is about coming home again. Today's devotional offers an important thought to believers of all ages. What is our personal vocation? What has God designed me to do in this world. Just asking that question is important.