Clay in the Hands

Have you ever struggled with sin?  If you answered no to that question, then . . . you need to quit reading and do some soul searching.  All of us struggle with sin – with wanting our own way – choosing certain things that go against what we know would please God.

That is part of living in a sinful world and being human.  But what about those sins you keep going back to regardless of how many times you ask God for forgiveness and say, “I’ll never do that again.”

I ran across this thought today from Thomas Merton and found it meaningful, I hope you will as well.

Shall I drive evil out of my soul by wrestling with my own darkness?  This is not what God has planned for me.  It is sufficient to turn away from my darkness to his light.  I do not have to run away from myself; it is sufficient that I find myself, not as I have made myself, by my own stupidity, but as he has made me in his wisdom and remade me in his infinite mercy.  For it is his will that my body and soul should be the temple of hisHoly Spirit, that my life should reflect the radiance of his love and my whole being repose in his peace.  Then I will truly know him, since I am in him and he is truly in me.

Let that sink in for a minute.  “It is sufficient to turn away from my darkness to his light.”  I don’t know about you, but I wrestle a lot with my own selfish desires.  I feel guilty for not being the person God wants me to be each day.  Reading this thought from Thomas Merton this morning gave me a breath of peace – even release – to remember that God simply asks that we focus on what is ultimately important and turn from our own desires.

It is a constant struggle, but the picture of simply turning away from the darkness of my sin and turning to God’s glorious light is a picture of mercy I needed to remember today.  Maybe you do too!

Be blessed today!