Leaning Into Lent: Day 15—Smooth Soul Surfaces

Psalm 40 for Morning Prayer this morning.

I waited patiently for the Lord; •
he inclined to me and heard my cry. (v1)

I'm not the one who has to do all the leaning in Lent, or any other time. Neither are you. I lean into Jesus' embrace and the Father, himself, inclines (leans) to me, too. His angle of inclination is always just right. Unlike the world of physics, however, my human angle of reflection rarely equals God’s perfect angle of incidence. God’s light shines straight and true. The far from perfect reflective surfaces of my soul are not smooth, shiny and true. The divine image God’s light is designed to project through me is distorted by the broken shards of my sinful house of mirrors.

The spiritual disciplines of Lent are designed so that I am able to lean into the Lord at just the right angle for my soul’s surfaces to be gracefully ground smooth again. Smooth enough that I am able to reflect his glory and, with Simeon , be

A light to reveal you to the nations
And the glory of your people Israel. (Nunc Dimittis from Night Prayer and Lk 2.32)

Amen and amen.