Sarah Kroger invites us into a soothing time of reflection, worship and prayer during the time of Lent.

Week Four

Week 4 of Lent. Can I be honest with you? I feel like I have done a terrible job this year of sticking to the things I said I would do. I could name a million excuses, but if I’m being honest with myself I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I “signed up” for more than I could realistically follow through in the season of life we’re in. 

Lent has always been a time that teaches me humility. It has a way of exposing my pride and the distorted motives that are easy for me to fall into. The Christian life isn’t about showing off — and yet so often it turns into that. “Look at me, God! Look at how much I’m sacrificing. Look at how good I’m doing at giving things up. Do you see?”

I’m reminded of the words of Joel 2:13, “rend your hearts…”. The words of Jesus when he accuses the Pharisees of being like “white washed tombs”, beautiful and put together on the outside, rotting and lifeless on the inside. God is concerned with the heart, not the outer appearance. We live in a culture that is concerned with the opposite. The temptation is real.

Thomas Merton once said, “Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real." I encourage you this week to dive into humility. To practice being real with yourself and with God. Ask God to help you see yourself more clearly. Here are a few questions to consider:

I will end this week’s reflection with the wise words of one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis:

by Sarah Kroger