Feb. 20, 2010
 
DEVOTION: Practice Again
 
By Beth Bondurant
 
Watching the Olympic hopefuls remind us how many hours... days... weeks... months is spent in practice to develop their skills and gifts.
 
Yet it is a matter of faith when time comes for them to "let go" and experience the actual moment of performance.
 
Who made you? What else did God make?
 
"Everything was created by God... not one thing came into being without God."
 
We are made in God's image... but how much time do we give developing our relationship to God.. the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all that is in us... all that is around us.
 
How do we become more God like... reflecting God's unconditional love and grace to our family and friends...to neighbors and coworkers... to strangers and sojourners.
 
Loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and spirit means we are attune to God's Spirit in us.. with us... around us... through us... and it comes with application.
 
No Olympic athlete is a walk on.
 
Loving God in all circumstances and situations isn't easy. Spiritual eyes seek to focus on God's goodness and grace in the midst of life's trauma... but it takes time and patience... trial and error... intentional acceptance of God's loving presence no matter what.
 
During Lent we want to "walk humbly with God"... to look within ourselves and in the face of others and see the image we were created to be. To be willing to fall down ... to "miss the mark"... and yet try again and again... so we are able "to let go" and ultimately fall into the hands of the "living God".