Scripture: Ezekiel 36:26

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Reflect in the Presence of Gentleness/Jesus

1.       How do I react at the thought of having a stony, stubborn heart?  What emotion rises up first?

2.      How does a heart of stone serve me? (protection?)

3.      How does a heart of stone get in the way of relationship?

4.      What scares me about humility and gentleness?

Practice:

1.       Each time you eat a piece of bread this week, notice the softness. Breathe a prayer of surrender, asking God to do all he wants to do in your heart this summer.

2.      Cultivate self-awareness by noticing every time you are irritated.  Instead of judging yourself or another, offer the irritation to Jesus and choose to bless that person in your mind.

Prayer:

O Christ,

tirelessly you seek out those who are looking for you

and who think that you are far away;

teach us, at every moment,

to place our spirits in your hands.

While we are still looking for you,

already you have found us.

However poor our prayer,

You hear us far more than we can imagine or believe.

Brother Roger of Taizé

Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

* Reflections composed by Carey Cruz