Lent Day 21… Darkness Comes When / Dawn Breaks When
Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Jesuit priest Theodore Tracy wrote the following beautiful and challenging contrast:
I am a husband, father, pastor, leader & reader. I love God, love people & love life.
“frustrated with my own limitations.”
That one jumped off the page. I feel this when I see musicians who can play everything and do everything well I think, “that would be amazing if I could do all that.”
What this really speaks to is the comparison game. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try and grow and increase in our abilities. I am saying that there will always be someone out there better and more talented than us. If we place our value and worth on simply being the best, we’ll soon discover we’re not the best and where does that leave us? If not careful, it can leave us frustrated and a feeling of not measuring up which can take us to a dark place.
I/We need to be constantly reminding ourselves that WE ARE ENOUGH. There’s freedom in that. There’s hope in that. There’s light in that. And we all want to be in the light.
We are enough. Yes, amen, let it be. It’s so true Kyle—and so hard to accept. There is freedom in that, hope in that, light in that. Thank you for what you shared… really appreciate your honesty. The comparison game sucks us all in and in the process sucks our life and freedom and joy away. God help us to remember that we are enough.
So well encapsulated, Kyle. The whole of the left column described too much of where I have lived. This is paralleled today with a post from my other daily blog, “Proverbs 31 Ministries”, speaking on “always being right, having to look good”. I got double-teamed today. What phrase struck me was “…freed from the intolerable burden of my own yoke…” –perfectly clean house (not), perfect children (ha!), perfect performance (double ha), perfect spelling (pretty close) as if I could do it all. It really seems to be a foundational pride in my own ability and not rely on God, sharing the yoke, as the good father mentions above. My own yoke of expectations of what I should be and do is very heavy and I’m weary of it. Thank you both for your input.