I used to think that honesty just had to do with “cash register honesty,” you know, literally not stealing stuff that doesn’t belong to you. That is certainly an essential standard to meet, yet it’s just the beginning. It took some life experiences for me to comprehend the necessity of psychological honesty. Waking up to what one really feels, what one really thinks, and how one really sees oneself opens the path to spiritual development. There is no other way. Jesus taught us over and over that we out picture what is within us. And he taught us that if we are to fully live, what is within us must be faced. On that basis we can bring what is hurting to the healing power of the Christ. Oftentimes we feel afraid to face ourselves. We may have been given false and negative messages about who we are. Lent is a unique opportunity to see ourselves in a new and loving light. It is an opportunity to face ourselves by leaning into the powerful energy of honesty. We commit to rise into a new level of Christ Consciousness by coming to the altar of God’s Presence. We lay on that altar who we are in our human expression. We get to be honest with God about what we think, what we feel, what we are dealing with, how we see ourselves. In that vulnerability, we discover that God loves us and is with us. There is no condemnation, no shaming, no punishment. There is love and acceptance. There is the gentle removal, as we choose it, of any thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors that would tell us we are not enough, or not good, or that God is not near. We find that in God’s Presence our honesty brings us not to disgrace, but to love and goodness–the innate substantial goodness of who we are and have always been. Honest to goodness–that’s what we’ll find! Blessings of love as we enter this sacred season of preparation for our resurrection.
In the Love and Light of the Christ,
Rev. Anna
