It’s time to examine your heart and invite the Holy Spirit to expose bad habits. When you strive to be honest in your confessions, you’ll be full of joy when you celebrate the resurrection of Christ.
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SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope and today Joni has a great verse from Ecclesiastes.
JONI: Ecclesiastes 7 starting with verse 10 says, “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions.” Love that verse. My mother used to say, “Getting old ain’t for sissies.” And she was right. I always thought it would be a cinch to “grow old gracefully;” but then I crested 65 and found out differently! That’s why the following prayer written by an anonymous saint from the 17th Century means so much to me. And it goes like this:
“Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will be someday old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody. Helpful, but not bossy with my vast store of wisdom; it seems a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest, Lord, that I do want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point swiftly. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others’ pains but help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that I occasionally may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a sour old person. Some of them are so hard to live with and each one a crowning work of the devil. Give me instead the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen.”
Don’t you love that prayer? And oh, my goodness, do I see myself in it! And maybe you do, too. And in between all the humor, there is truth and here, this prayer was written in the 17th century. It sure would fit right in today, wouldn’t it? Prayers that are honest like this one; prayers that are transparent and speak the truth plainly; prayers like these are true prayers of confession and repentance. “Lord, this is who I am, and this is who I understand myself to be, and it is not pretty.” Honest, transparent, truthful confessions like that are so hard to come by these days. We tend to make broad generalities when we confess our sin; we hardly ever get specific. Well, starting today, it’s a good time to change that, because it’s Ash Wednesday. And today marks a 40-day journey leading up to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Because we cannot be joyful about Jesus saving us from our sin unless we first understand how it is that we are sinners. So Lent is that period of time where we should be examining our hearts and inviting the Holy Spirit to expose bad habits and sinful ways. We strive to be honest and transparent and truthful in our confessions, all so that our joy will be full and from the heart when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. That’s something to think about today, on Ash Wednesday.
SHAUNA: And friend, there’s even more comfort and encouragement waiting for you at joniradio.org so visit us today and be sure to leave us your prayer request.
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