Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateUse the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).
For many of us we’ve probably heard ourselves referred to as God’s children for, quite possibly, our whole lives. And, at least in my own experience, I have found that the frequency of which that title has been spoken over my life has somewhat lent itself to diminishing the value of the words. From a very young age I was told that I was a child of God, but I’m not sure that anyone ever told me what that meant, at least not really. Because if I’m being truthful, it wasn’t until recently that I began to step into what that reality means for my life. And I was hoping that, for our reflection today, you might be willing to let me share with you a little bit about how stepping into the truth of who I am and who my Father is has completely and utterly changed me.
You see, for years I lived as though I was an orphan; constantly grasping and striving to try and prove to everyone around me that I was worthy of being loved. I felt desperate for the approval of others and yet was unable to receive it when it was given, because I felt I was ultimately unworthy. I lived my whole life through this lens of insecurity, where my self worth was determined by the opinions of others. I lived in, from, and through my brokenness and it was exhausting. But then, slowly and over time, the Father began to invite me to see myself as a child again; to shift my lens from one of orphan-hood and loneliness to one of daughterhood and fulfillment. As I began to allow the Lord to show me how he truly looked at me, as his child, my interactions with others stopped coming from a place of desperation and striving and began to come from the overflow of God’s love for me. My self worth no longer rested in whether or not others decided to approve of me because I knew myself to valuable and good and so incredibly loved by the Father. When a little kid encounters their father, there is a confidence in demanding his attention because they know they are loved and enough, they are not ashamed to be who they are before their Dad because they are sure of his love. This is who we have the freedom to be before God. This is what St. John means when he says, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God.” He’s saying that the through our title as children of God, the Lord has invited us into a life of freedom where we don’t have to be constantly trying to prove ourselves worthy. Our Father has already decided that we are worthy and, as He is Truth itself, we get to believe Him. You, my friend, are a child of God. And my prayer for you is that today, those words will begin to really mean something. Step #3: Oratio / PrayThese questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.
Do you believe you are a child of God?
Are you trying to find your worth somewhere else in someone else? What can you do this week to embrace God as Father? Step #4: Contemplatio / ContemplateIn this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.
"I am a child of God."
"I am worthy because the Father loves me." "I embrace the Father's love." Step #5: Actio / ActIn light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?
Today, reflect on God as your Father. Ask God to reveal to you the moments in your life that He has been there as your loving father, but you might not have seen them at the time.
Smartphone Lock ScreenThe following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.
Today's prayer was prepared by Lauren Wright, a Youth Minister in Rockford, IL. If you have anything you'd like our team to pray for, please go to the page of our website called "Prayers" and let us know how we can pray for you today. Comments are closed.
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