Moments of Clarity
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Romans 10:8-18
Luke 4:1-13
Divine
Inspiration
Moments of clarity – we all have
them. They don’t come often. But when they do, they are so powerful, so
impactful, that they overrule all distractions, temptations and day-to-day
chaos in our lives.
Jesus had clarity in all he did and
said. When he was up on the mountain,
hungry, tired and lonely with the devil whispering in his ear about all he
could give to Jesus, Jesus was completely, totally 100% clear about who he
(Jesus) was and why he was there on the mountain and what he was meant to do
here on earth. He was not here for the
power or to prove anything to anyone. He
was here to show people how to love one another; he was here to show people how
to love God. And, he knew beyond the
shadow of a doubt that he was and is the Son of God.
Have you ever had a moment of clarity
like this in your own life? If so, when
was it? What were you doing or thinking
or involved in at the time? It certainly
is not a requirement, but often these moments of clarity come when we’re in the
midst of trouble, sorrow or suffering. Jesus
was alone; he was fasting; and in a sense, he was suffering. But because of that, he was able to be very
clear about his purpose here on earth.
This is what Lent is about. It is not meant to be a time of purposeless
denial or suffering. It is meant to be a
time of clarity, and the way to achieve that clarity is to turn off all those
things in life that distract us – things like mindless TV, gossip,
junkfood. Yes, some may look on giving
these things up as suffering and denial, but that’s ok. It causes us to turn even stronger to God to
get us through that time. And, in doing
this – turning to God in our time of suffering – the moment of clarity will
dawn upon us. It’s not something we can
control or will to happen. It just does
by the grace of God. And, when it does,
it’s important for us to recognize it, to be in the moment, and to thank God
for the vision and clarity he has bestowed upon us.
This Lent, as you deny yourself the
worldly pleasures and indulgences, pray for the clarity and vision that God
wants you to have.
Amen.
Readings and Divine Inspiration from
Sunday, February 14, 2016.
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