Daily Readings for Friday, March 11, 2011
- Morning Psalms 22; 148
- First Reading Deuteronomy 7:12-16
- Second Reading Titus 2:1-15
- Gospel John 1:35-42
- Evening Psalms 105; 130
Morning Psalm 22
1 My God , my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do notanswer ;
and by night, but find no rest.
Okay, so today I'm realizing that this desire to be disrupted by a daily discipline is working. I'm up early today to post this because I'm in Lincoln, at my sister's house, attending the boy's state basketball tournament because my nephew plays this morning. I came with R and E, and E is a bit under-the-weather. She slept okay last night, except for between 2 and 4:30 a.m. And at 4:45, R started complaining - "She's touching me." I'm trying to finish this up before the choas of cousins swings into high gear.
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not
and by night, but find no rest.
Okay, so today I'm realizing that this desire to be disrupted by a daily discipline is working. I'm up early today to post this because I'm in Lincoln, at my sister's house, attending the boy's state basketball tournament because my nephew plays this morning. I came with R and E, and E is a bit under-the-weather. She slept okay last night, except for between 2 and 4:30 a.m. And at 4:45, R started complaining - "She's touching me." I'm trying to finish this up before the choas of cousins swings into high gear.
I know that these words from Psalm 22 are words that Jesus uttered from the cross, hours before his death. And so I hesitate to compare my one sleepless night, where I cried out to God, but found no rest, to Jesus. It does however put some persepctive on suffering.
It's true - I feel like my one night of interupted sleep (I was in my niece's bed - so I got to sleep under the watchful gaze of a Taylor Lautner poster!) is causing me to suffer. I'll be with family all day, so I'll try my best to not be crabby. I'll do my best to not let me kiddos drive me nuts. I'll do my best...to not suffer. But all of this is really my choice. I chose to drive last night, even though I knew E had a fever. I chose to be here.
Jesus' suffering is so different. It makes that last paragraph look rather childish and whiny. (I get to see my family. My kids get to be with cousins - normally joyful proclimations!) Jesus suffers because of obedience. Obedience to God's will - not only for his life, but for the salvation of all. Jesus suffers because he is other-directed. Jesus knows it isn't about him - about one person's wants, needs, and desires. Jesus suffers because he is for the other - and the other is us.
And so, I'm going to take off my bad attitude, my need to complain, and my desire to go back to bed. And I'm going to attempt to delight in my family and the blessing it is to be with them. And I'm going to submit my need to control the day ahead and see what God has in store.
Dear God - Thank you for this day. Thank you for a warm place to lay my head at night and a large extended family that loves me. Help me to be loveable. Help me to set aside my own desires and seek your presence and your will for my life. Today and all days. Amen.
John C.
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