*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

View this email in your browser A daily Lenten e-mail with lessons of hope and courage, inspired by a variety of resources to encourage us in these confusing and turbulent times from St. Luke’s Church, Lebanon. Thursday - Fourth Week in Lent God sees not as the world sees. This is a difficult lesson but one that is essential if we are really to grow into God’s love and life.  Too often, we depend upon the opinion of others or other things that are external to us as a measure of our worth. The essence of our value is not measured by externals things flows from within. If we lay ourselves bare in our vulnerability and strip away our careers, our families, our friends, our possessions, and achievements, what are we left with? And how does that feel? Beyond the obvious losses, do we like and respect who we are, irrespective of the markers of other-worth? We modify and mold so much of our behavior and, even more, our personality to achieve the esteem of others. We create masks in this effort, as we present to others the person we think they would approve of. In such circumstances, we are abandoning who we really are to derive approval or recognition from others. Too often this applies to our relationship with God. We spend our energy creating the person that we think God wants to see rather than the person who we truly are. Jesus teaches us that God does not use the standards of the world (standards we unconsciously adopt) to measure our worth. Rather, because God is the author of all life, God is able to see us as the person God created – not the mask we have fashioned. That person has intrinsic worth, not determined by anything else but its nature. Our spiritual growth, then, is dependent upon our ability to strip away all the external measures and take a deep journey inward to discover the one God made. This is the person that God loves, regardless of what we might think. It is this person that is showered with all the grace needed to thrive in the life of God. This is the path of Jesus. Deeply self -aware of his identity and his relationship to the Father, he was not bothered when others criticized, attacked, or mocked his work. This awareness empowered Jesus to undergo the humiliations heaped upon him even as he undertook his greatest work of all – to die for us.  Take some time to reflect on just what we see when we look at our selves. Scripture Lessons appointed for the day (Click on the lesson for the text) Exodus 32:7–14 John 5:30–47 Psalm 106:6–7,19–23   “You are not what others think you are. You are what God knows you are.” ― Shannon Alder Seeing yourself as God see you . . .  Do you find yourself wanting, needing, or seeking approval or validation from others? Do you believe that you are worthy of someone's love? Of God's love? In Christ Alone Written by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend Performed by Celtic Worship:   “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” ― Brené Brown Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.