Peeling Back the Husks

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations, and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

I'm a relative "newbie" to the practice of lent. My first few years at Redeemer when the season of lent rolled around, I mostly sat back and observed.  After a few years of "toe dipping" I slid my feet farther in and went through a lent devotional with my discipleship group. (Peer pressure for the win!)

I was not prepared to be so seen, loved and shepherded by Jesus.  I remember sitting on my unmade bed reading through passages in Jeremiah and thinking "this might be the first time I've ever really loved reading the Bible and I want to keep reading!"  It was weird for me and a little overwhelming. I grew up studying the Bible, but this felt different. It felt like God saw me, knew what my heart needed to hear, and placed it in my hands.

Quick story time: I grew up in a part of Iowa that was famous for two things--pigs & corn. I spent a few highschool summers working for a hog farmer who was also locally renowned for growing sweetcorn.  (It was so good we ate it raw off the cob.) My job was to check each ear of corn that came in from the field.  We were looking for ears that had missing kernels, crooked rows, or had been infiltrated by a corn worm.  All of these ears were unfit to be sold.  Missing kernels or crooked row corn could still be eaten but was technically considered imperfect. Corn eaten by worms was literally thrown to the pigs. What was tricky about these three "corn crimes" is that you can only see them once you peel back the husk. Prior to peeling back the husk you couldn't know if you were holding a prize ear or a worm infested cob.

My pre-lent heart feels a little like those ears of corn. On the outside it is wrapped multiple layers in fresh green husks. It isn't until I sit back down and stay still long enough for the layers to be peeled back that I start to see the deeply nestled kernels.  They are crooked, missing, or mushy from worms.

As the collect for the week beautifully says---you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save.  My first inclination is to try to hide the crooked rows from God.  Pull the husks back up and keep moving on. It's the garden of Eden all over again.  Maybe I can hide from God!  But when I pause...when I let it sink in, it's comforting that God already knows what is inside the husked up heart of mine and I can stop working hard to hide it.  I can lay it all bare and there will be Jesus! Tempted in every way, yet sinless, perfect on my behalf.

While sitting in lent over the next weeks, I encourage you to see what it looks or feels like to peel back the layers before God. I don't know what you'll see in your own heart, but I know you'll find God mighty to save!