Neighbor to Neighbor Woman Presents:
 Thursday   # 12

For Lent Only      

 

The Plank, The Splinter, and His Mission 

 

Bible Verse Memorization Plan & Reflection.  

 

 
Greetings!

 

John the Baptist told the people to Repent.

Jesus tells us to turn away from our sins. 

And yet, at the very same time, the voice we hear is that of a Shepherd who would go after us as if we were the only one that was lost.  We hear the "love" in His call to us.  And we want to follow because we know, we sense, we joyfully expect, that He is leading us to where that Love is lived.  Our hearts were made for it.  Turning away from our sins would seem repulsive (they have been  our protection, our justification, our solution, our escape) except for that love.  And that love for us was so strong, is still so strong, that Jesus carried His planks to Calvary and laid on them and bled  and gave up His last breath,  fulfilling His Mission.

I am going to share two simple calls to repentance that Christ placed on my heart recently.  They are specific to me, but I hope that they can have meaning for you as well  this Holy Week.
Luke 6:42
"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck of wood out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Reflection

I had breakfast with my daughter a few weeks ago, and we began to talk about a situation that had taken place years before.  I saw it one way, and she still saw it a different way.  Of course, at the time of the event,  I was the "mother" and my reactions and understanding were accurate, mature and justified.  She was the "daughter" and at the time of the incident, unreasonable, immature and unjustified.  All of a sudden, I noticed something else.  Years later, she was still "hurting" about the situation.   

 

During the week, I took a Second Look in prayer.  I had only seen the plank in my daughter's eyes before.  Now, my blinders were taken off (was I not ready before to see?) and I could view so much wrongdoing on my part.  It was a "reasonable" reaction (I used to think), but it wasn't the way Christ would have reacted to the situation.  It wasn't Christ seeing my daughter's pain and loving her with the love of the greatest lover on earth.  

 

I sat down and wrote my dear daughter a sincere letter of apology.  I didn't cover my wrongdoing with any excuses but showed it for what it was. I just wanted to hide under a gravestone, my shame was so great.   I asked her forgiveness and felt so sad for not having loved her better.  I did want to re-write history oh so badly.  I sent the letter off to her.  It was her birthday.  She wrote me back and told me it was the very best birthday present I could have ever given her and that  she has already forgiven me.

 

Christ walked His way of Calvary for me, a sinner, so that I could come out from under that gravestone and live anew with my head held high.  He died that I might live.  Each time I take that Second Look at Him, and learn to die to my "old self"...as He shows me how, I feel that surge of love that is greater than my own attempt at love.

 

I am grateful that I am forgiven and that His grace and the price He paid, allows me to write the future with a new pen-stroke.

 

Oh, Happy Lent. 

 



 

Reflection II

TODAY.....not five years ago...or twenty, but today, I "let out" some direct criticism at my husband for not "getting up earlier and planning time to help me get everything into the car before Mass" for our journey home from DC to Akron. 

 

I could feel my husband's silence after my stream of negative words. Later, sitting next to him in church, I just "knew" that there was something amiss in that little private "scene" in the room.  I didn't want that "something" to be my fault.  I was much more comfortable with it all being his "imperfection".  

 

 I took a glance internally in God's direction...a little soul searching. Sure enough, there it was.  I understood in that glance  that  I was simply "venting" my frustration and feeling  pretty" self-righteous" that I had been up so early and busy caring for the grandchildren and "doing so much".  The truth of it was that  I hadn't taken the time  to plan our morning either. 

 

We couldn't go back and re-do the morning now. With that simple glance towards God, I realized that the best thing was to learn from the situation.  In the future, if I think of "planning ahead" before Bob does, I can simply ask him to take time to see how he can help us get out on time.  

 

I turned to Bob in Church and peacefully and genuinely asked him to forgive me for being so critical in the room.  He "gladly" forgave me. The air was cleared.   

 

Oh Happy Lent! 

 

 
 

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