It causes me to take Jesus's sacrifice very personally.
I forget sometimes that He came for me.
Me.
Me.
Me.
Me.
It brings me to a place of mortality and mortification. It is a time of walking up to the Mirror of God and seeing myself reflected in it again. What do I see there?
Rags.
Rags.
More Rags.
So much brokenness.
It is a time of knowing who I really am, seeing myself again reflected in the mirror of righteousness.
So human.
So depraved.
So sinful.
So needy.
And yet.....
it is a time when Jesus comes to stand behind me and I see Him reflected there lovingly and graciously supporting me.
He begins to point out the beauty He sees in me.
He speaks wisdom and forgiveness and holiness to me.
And, slowly I begin to see myself in the light of His knowledge of me.
Somehow, those rags begin to look a little cleaner, less frayed.
My need, instead of a heavy chain, becomes a link to His Heart.
My depravity becomes like dust that He shakes off of my clothes.
He takes it all and replaces it with righteousness. His own righteousness.
As I gaze steadfastly into the mirror, I come to the point where He is all I see. His Face, His hands, His Feet, His side.
He is all I see.
I keep looking, I no longer "see darkly."
Lent brings me face to face with reality, and changes my gaze, lifts my countenance, fills my vision.
It is a precious time of coming face to face with what is real, what is true about who I am and my relationship with the One who gave Himself out of Love for me alone.
It brings me Face to Face with Jesus as he lays himself down on My cross.
I can't take my eyes off His Face as they bang in My nails to His hands and feet and gouge My crown of thorns deeply into his brow.
"Just keep looking into my Face." He says. "Don't look away. We're together in this."
This is Lent.
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