Meeting my maker

‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ (Psalm 139:13-14)

In a world where we can add filters to our photos, share curated, highlight reels of our lives, and present the best version of ourselves to others, this verse reminds me that I cannot hide from our omnipresent Creator. To be honest, that can sometimes be a frightening and uncomfortable thought.

But this verse also delivers a freeing truth: God knows every corner of our hearts and being – even the dark depths we want to keep hidden in shame. He knows us intimately and yet still fully delights in me, and in you!

Since we were so carefully and intentionally created, we each have a valuable role to play, flaws and all, in advancing his kingdom. This encourages me in my day-to-day work here in the Middle East, knowing that every task – whether big or small, seen or unseen, or seemingly insignificant – ultimately contributes to a much bigger purpose, which you are also part of.

Loving God, thank you for this wonderful truth. Help me to invest my whole being in it, so that everything I do will flow from it. Amen.

Jade Beakhouse
Jade works in our Eurasia and North Africa Team and is based in the Middle East.

Fire

‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ (Romans 12:2)

The first day of Lent is known in many traditions as Ash Wednesday. Ash is the aftermath of fire – the remnant of a burning away.

Part of the spiritual journey is learning to let go; it is to subtract whatever the world has put upon us to make more room for God’s abundance. So, to begin Lent, let us reflect upon some of the things it might be time to burn away from our lives:

• Negative beliefs about ourselves. For example, ‘I’m not enough’. You are more than enough for Christ.
• Bitterness and unforgiveness. The only person it’s hurting is you.
• Whatever the ‘thing’ is that you’re waiting for to complete you. ‘If only I had that job/that house/that person etc.’ It won’t complete you; you are already complete.
• Material possessions. These can be anchors that weigh us down. It is liberating when we realise that all things belong to God.
• Self-centredness. There is a desperate need for society to move from ‘me’ to ‘we’; from ‘I’ to ‘all of us’.

Write down a list of some of the things that you want to subtract from your life this Lent. Commit your list to God.

Gideon Heugh
Gideon writes for Tearfund and is a poet and environmentalist.