OURS THE LOOK OF SHAME

PRAYER PAUSE

Monday 13 March 2017

OURS THE LOOK OF SHAME

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far …”  (Daniel 9:4-10)

Reflection. By the waters of Babylon we sit down and weep as we consider our plight. Many in prison today, or at home, weep as they reflect on their “exile” from their true self. It is a healthy thing to have a deep sense of sorrow for our condition. We are failing to live up to the great promise written in our hearts, the great dignity that is our inheritance. To be a Christian is to be restless, to be not OK, despite all the psychology that tells us to resist a low self-image. We can have a good self-image and be joyful people. Yet at root we know we fall terribly short. I suppose what it adds up to is: we can be both deeply joyful -because we believe in the promise - and at the same time deeply restless because we are so limited.

Prayer. Lord, teach us to accept the tension of being restless while being at peace. Amen.