Recovering Ourselves

Hear this post at the above link.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes things get so busy we lose ourselves.  It's odd to think that one can get so caught up in the expanse of everything that they become only a pale imitation of the person they once were.  But it happens.  Somewhere in the midst of the struggle, we don’t consider that a thought is not our own until we are so far off course we can't even recognize the scenery.  Spiritually, this can also happen, when we get excited about the Word and different ministries that we get involved with everything, even things we do not actually have gifts in. And we sow the seeds until there's nothing left but another's vision fulfilled.

Lent is a time to focus on our God selves, particularly how our gifts can be used to build the Kingdom on Earth.  This time is to remind us of how giving up something can make us, in fact, more in tune with the walk we have. Doing without tends to remind us of that talent we've left unnurtured or even just were too busy to cultivate.  It can also bring back skills we forgot we had, whether it's crocheting, hitting a 3 point shot or renewing our love for making music. Not everyone will be supportive of these pursuits, after all, some of these may seem a little out there, but they serve a higher purpose.

When considering recovering ourselves, the authentic person we first were, we first must remember to develop the relationship with our God selves as we would any other. Lay ourselves out in the open, vulnerable, to surrender our strengths and points of progress to be reordered and mended in to a Master creation.  Psalm 139: 5 reads, "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand on me".  Even if we've long since become a new creature, the renewal of gifts only further solidifies our covenant and dedication to call.

Consider having some quiet time - an hour or a full weekend - to recover the gifts we may have forgotten and meditate on how to use them in your future ministries.