I was reading a book by Brennan Manning last night and part of it really struck me. One of the chapters of The Ragamuffin Gospel talks about having a passion for life and praying for a sense of wonder. Manning ends chapter 5 with the following prayer by a Jewish Rabbi ->
"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Delight me to see how your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his, to the Father through the features of men’s faces. Each day enrapture me with your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all."
This has become my prayer lately. I've lost the passion that I used to have for life. But I'm learning to see it again in the people around me. I spent the evening with friends and family and ended up laughing so hard my sides hurt. It was a wonderful feeling. Sometimes I get so caught up in the mistakes of my past that I feel overwhelmed by my sin. It's hard for me to understand and accept God's grace that is freely given to me, a terrible sinner! But I'm slowly coming to realize the wonder of God's grace (I'm a slow learner!). I have done nothing to deserve God's grace and incredible love. Casting Crowns has a song on their LifeSong album titled "In Me" that talks about the power of Christ. My favorite lines are:
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me
I'll close this rambling blog with a quote from Brennan Manning that fully comprises my lifesong.
My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.
- Brennan Manning
2 comments:
I like that last quote a lot!
I hope you´re doing well...how are things at church?
This sounds a lot like the main thrust of what Henri Nouwen talks about...being the Beloved of God. We are all God's beloved...without condition and without need to prove ourselves.
Nouwen - and Manning - are right in asserting that the greatest need in the life of every person is to learn to accept that we are indeed loved.
I don't know about you, but I've found that it is also one of the hardest things we have to do.
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