How many hairs are on your head? For some of us as we age, there are less and less of them. However, whatever number there are today, could you count them? God knows. He made you and He knows all about you. Even when you don’t know yourself.
Lent is a season of reflection, penitence and changes of heart. With due introspection we are to think about how our lives have diverted from the path God has set before us and contemplate what we need to do to set off toward that path again…that path that leads to a closer relationship with Him. Through various disciplines and exercises (like prayer, fasting, denial, reconciliation, worship and Biblical study, to name a few) we can move toward that enlightenment and a place where we begin to know ourselves as God does.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs on your head are numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31
God desires us to be in relationship with Him. He gave His only Son so that we would not be lost to Him, but could be in a perfect relationship with Him forever.
The best parents have good relationships with their children. They know where their kids are, who they are with, and somehow (through the eyes on the back of their heads) know when their kids are about to get into trouble. Those parents warn of dangers, poke and prod for their children to make good choices, let them learn from their mistakes, and always make sure that their children know they are loved, no matter what…no matter how badly they screw up.
God is like that. He sees all our warts and flawed behaviors. He knows what we are thinking and how much trouble we find for ourselves. “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes.” Jeremiah 16:17
Our Lenten penitence, reflection, and cries for forgiveness are not for God. He does not need them. We do. They are for us. These things are for building the relationship between us and God. They are to remind us that God loves us…no matter what…to the point of death on a cross.
In this way we learn to know ourselves. We can see the path we are to follow.
We begin to be able to know the count of the hairs on our heads.
Do you believe that God knows how many hairs are on your head? Do you trust that He loves you no matter what?
Please leave a comment and tell us what disciplines you use, especially during Lent, to help strengthen your relationship with God?
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Lenten Taize Worship Services: Thursdays, 7:30 pm
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