Ash Wednesday: Starting with “Why?”

from Leaning In, Letting Go by Nicole Massie Martin

Read Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21 (in the app, click "Bible" button; on computer, go to www.biblegateway.com)

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them;  for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (6:1)

“I can’t have dessert; I’m fasting.” My friend was so pleased with her denial that I almost felt a tinge of guilt as I gobbled my chocolate cake. I was proud that she decided to make a commitment to God and happy for her discipline, especially around cake.

As we left our time together that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about her comment and how it made me feel. I was both happy and ashamed, inspired and embarrassed, all at the same time. Should I have been fasting too?

Public displays of righteousness often seem to have this effect. They make the “righteous” feel good while simultaneously making the “unrighteous” feel bad. However, Jesus was not interested in public works. He told his disciples that those people get on earth exactly what they want: to be seen by people on earth. But he wanted them to strive for something more than temporary satisfaction. Jesus wanted them to have a relationship with God in which their doing came as a result of their being . He was less concerned about what they were doing and more concerned about why .

As we enter this season of Lent, Jesus reminds us that he is more concerned about why we lean in than he is about what we let go. We are invited to fast, serve, and pray not because we’ll be recognized by people, but because of our love for God. When God is our audience, no one else has to know.

So whether we choose to eat cake or deny it, whether celebrating in silence or with a loud song, God is most concerned with our motivation, not our activation. When we have the right motives, the simple act of leaning in will be all the reward we need.

Lord, help us to let go of outward piety and lean into your unfailing love. Let your presence be our pursuit and your pleasure our only reward.