Ash Wednesday Invitation
“To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” -John 10:3-4
In a culture of more we are often pushed into situations where we try to impress and overcompensate and be more than we truly are. Like the great authors, we “embellish” our reality as we distort the truth to create a slightly more colorful life. Yet, trying to maintain these narratives can burden us with a weight of maintaining. There is a danger in this practice because we can push ourselves to the brink of falling apart or we get caught up in the counterfeit story and mentally unravel. At the core, this culture of more creates a delusional place for us to be.
Self-awareness is a discipline that gives us an authentic view of who we are and embraces that which God created us to be. It refuses to delve into the madness of the delusional state of more or not enough. Instead of taking the onramp to culture’s chaotic rat race, it maintains the quiet back roads of simplicity. Socrates once said, “Know Thyself” as a means to gaining wisdom. Only when we slow down enough to know and hear ourselves can we truly embrace that which God has in store.
Jesus paints a beautiful picture of us being the sheep of his flock and him being the Great Shepherd that knows and is aware of each sheep. This picture pushes back against this culture of more. Our reality begins with the Shepherd “…calling his sheep out by name and leading them.” There is no need or expectation to impress or fight for his attention. He knows each one by name and leads each one out. The Shepherd intimately knows and is aware of each of his sheep. Being in relationship with Jesus eases the heart to a point of being in simple contentment with him. We don’t have to be anything more than what God created us to be. The Shepherd knows us and loves us all the same. To know ourselves is to know our fragility and need for the Shepherd.
Lent is a season that invites us to slow down, step out of the chaotic rush of more, and humbly become self-aware and draw closer to our Shepherd. It is an opportunity to find contentment in simply being present with Jesus. In self-awareness we identify the habits, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that hinder us or become barriers. In the same act of identifying, we lay it down at Jesus’ feet as we allow the Spirit to shape us.
On Ash Wednesday we come face to face with our frailty and acknowledge the delusion of more. Pride fuels the rampant pursuit to be more, have more, and control more. Pride brushes our Shepherd aside and says, “Nah Jesus, I got this,” while disfiguring our view of reality and truth. Ash Wednesday carves space for us to look inward and humbly and genuinely reach out in need to the Shepherd, like a child recognizing their smallness and reaching up to a trusted adult in love and comfort. Being a sheep does not mean we are “stupid,” it defines our desperation for our Shepherd for survival. It also exhibits the deep love and mindfulness that our Shepherd has for each one of us. This Lent you are invited to draw near to the Shepherd in a humble self-reflection. May you experience a simplicity that does not create false embellishments but embraces a genuine sense of contentment and being.
