“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” So asks our Lord in Matthew 5:13.
Jesus has just given us the gift of the Beatitudes. You know, “Blessed are the poor…” This list of those who are blessed give us a look into the path toward being full of the Spirit and becoming “like Christ.”
As I’ve journeyed in my life, I’ve watched as over and over again the Beatitudes grow in importance to my own spiritual maturity. They continue to become a “mirror” God invites me to look into to discover my true self. When I look into that “mirror” of the Beatitudes very often I struggle with what I see in my heart regarding my motivations, choices, and actions. But that is the purpose of this spiritual work of becoming like Christ. The key is not to allow the lie of the evil one that tempts you to give up at the distance you still have to go.
I am invited by God to look into this mirror not for the purposes of condemning me, but educating me and inviting me to two eternal truths: first, I am not able to measure up by myself. I need help! And second, I am never “let off the hook” simply because the task is difficult. With these two truths in mind, let me offer you a thought today that I pray encourages you not to shrink from the spiritual journey meant to transfigure your like to being “like Christ.”
The honest assessment of your spiritual condition is always a challenge and a risk. You always risk falling into discouragement and powerlessness. But it is a risk you have to be willing to take if you are going to make progress in spiritual maturity.the powerful guard against this danger is love. If I have come to know God and the truth that He already loves me more than I, myself, know how to love, then, as I look into that mirror and see myself as I really am, I am at rest. Not because of my great progress, but because of His inexhaustible love for me. Living and progressing in the atmosphere of love and deep joy gives me the freedom to look long and hard into that very love and know I can, by grace, climb the ladder of Christ likeness.
Today, my dearest, let us bravely look into the mirror of the Beatitudes , knowing He will always add His strength to your loving efforts toward Him.
