Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 34: Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

Saturday, March 23, 2024 ~ Day 34

     It is most comfortable to be invisible, to observe life from a distance, 

at one with our own intoxicating superior thoughts.

~ Anne Lamott*  

    I'm not sure it's invisibility that I would find comfortable, perhaps just being aloof and observing from an overhead vantage point or from my own personal pedestal. There are times when I like being close enough but far enough away, keeping everyone at arm's length. Then I can dish in my own head with clever if less than kind judgments, point my (invisible) finger at those who are merely common in their small lives, while I in my brilliance could solve all personal and global issues if I allowed them close enough for me to impart my wisdom. 
    And then, something in my head breaks out into:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

[Isaiah 55:8-9 NRSV]

 

Dear Most Superior Invisible One,

    I realize that my own self-described superior thoughts aren’t worth much at all if I'm using them to be condescending to others. Clearly I am not giving away the love and grace You are providing to me to share generously with others (and myself), even if only silently at times.

   For today, I’ll give up being merely an observer of people from an impersonal distance. I’ll take on becoming more up close and personal, when appropriate and comfortable for another. I’ll pray to remember that I'm not the judge of others, which, anyway, is more likely a reflection of how I judge myself. Help me to remember, daily, that the life You have given us is to be lived knowing You are within us and seeing the radiance of Your love in every single person we meet. No matter my presumption of the life circumstance, attitude, faith practice or lack of, politics, size, age, gender, etc., of another, You have taught me to love that neighbor as myself. Having You to lean on, turn to, and continually learn from is a far better way to experience superior intoxication. amen.

 

*Anne Lamott [1954 - ], is an American political activist and author of non-fiction and novels all largely autobiographical and with her signature wit, humor, and self-deprecation. Tackling alcoholism, single-motherhood, and depression, Lamott brings us in to everyday American situations with down-to-earth, sometimes irreverent vocabulary and structure that cuts directly to the center of life.

 Oh Lord it's Hard to be Humble: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYKWch_MNY0

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