paravanes:meditations

 This Lent, I am reading Eric Metaxas ' magnificent biography of one of my spiritual godfathers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In the passage below, Metaxas quotes from one of Bonhoeffer's letters to his brother-in-law, Rudiger Schleicher. Bonhoeffer, a religious conservative, offers his position on the centrality of scripture to Schleicher, a religious liberal. "First of all,  I will confess quite simply--I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only to ask repeatedly and a little humbly, in order the receive this answer. One cannot simply read the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer, shall we receive it. That is because in the Bible God speaks to us. And one cannot simply think about God in one's own strength, one has to enquire of Him. Only if we seek him, will he answer us. Of course it is possible to read the...

“Turn my striving into works of grace…” This line, from a song in one of the newer collections of hymns by Keith and Kristyn Getty, reminds me: sometimes trying too hard is not a sign of spiritual depth, but a sign of fear that something will not work out the way I want. Do I believe God will hear my prayer more closely if I stay up “too late” or get up much too early to pray? Will these choices make me feel more spiritual than someone who prays during their lunch hour? Am I struggling to tolerate someone I live or work with, forcing a smile when I’d rather strike out? Do I say “Praise the Lord!” fifty times per day because I need to block the more colorful words that might emerge when I consider some constantly irritating, seemingly un-solvable circumstance? Do I pray over and over for the same thing because I believe God won’t take me seriously unless I endlessly repeat a single request? How willing am I to say this to God: “I am not sure what should happen in this situation...