A Look in the Mirror
The powers of this world do not want to see their authority and control usurped by another, even if that other is God. To preach a message and practice a life of authentic discipleship will make us uncomfortable and make others anxious and sometimes hostile. We are not above the struggle of what it means to follow Jesus. The complex issues of life do not lend themselves to easy answers.
It is not easy to know with certainty the path we are to follow. And often, after careful discernment, the direction we hear is not the way we would have chosen. There is often resistance within us to the way we are convinced God is calling us to travel. It is a strenuous journey of faith that permits us to say with Mary, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
We should not expect instantly to be where Mary was in her witness. Neither should we think that there is something wrong with us because we struggle with internal or external opposition. Self-examination and the help of a faithful spiritual guide are ways to test our perceptions with reality.
—Rueben P. Job
A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader
This devotional thought reminds me of 1 Corinthians 11:28, “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.” Paul said this as he was teaching on the Lord’s Supper. Take a look in the mirror. What do you see? Do you see a resemblance to Jesus? I appreciate that Job, in today’s devotion, encourages us that it’s okay to not be as far along as someone else in this journey, acknowledging that we all struggle. But his thrust, an indeed our calling, is that we press on in faith. “Self-evaluation and the help of a faithful spiritual guide,” he says. You’ve looked into the mirror; now ask someone you’re spiritually accountable to what they see. It’s so important to have others to share our journey with; someone to speak spiritual encouragement to us; someone to hold us accountable, as we need to be. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics