“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die’” -Genesis 3:4
It is understandable that Advent and Christmas are the preferred church holidays. Ash Wednesday comes in the long weeks of winter with its invitation to remember our mortality. While our culture encourages us to live in denial of death, for centuries, Christians have made this remembrance a constant part of their spiritual practice, remembering that each moment is a gift to be appreciated.
“Denial of death was humanity’s first seduction. ‘You will surely not die,’ the serpent flattered Eve…” writes Jen Pollock Michel in her book In Good Time. And we continue to wrestle with the allure of possibility. It is uncomfortable to face the reality of our limits, whether that is ability, hours in a day, or the finitude of human life.
Our desire to be like God is not sinful. The call to discipleship is to continue to form ourselves more and more into Christ’s likeness. It is our rebellion against the limits that causes harm to ourselves and others.
As you encounter limits throughout this week, take time to consider:
- What gift is implicit in the limitation you are facing?
- Where might there be goodness, freedom or rest because of a boundary?
- In what ways is this restriction a blessing?
Refine my longings, O God. Renew my perspective. May I trust in the hidden gifts of limits. Amen.
Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.
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