I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. Isaiah 50:6
Left to my own devices, I can essentially design—or, as the fashionable say these days, “curate”—my own life. I can listen to what I want, turn off what disturbs me and tune out what I don’t want to see or hear. I can, if I choose, live in a bubble, as clear or opaque as I want it to be.
But not this week.
This week, this Holy Week, I am thrust into the crowds. Crowds that welcome, then condemn. I must encounter the questioning, the faithful, the confused and the fearful. I lurk with the sinners and the saints. I hear the questions, the answers and the silence.
I can’t shut out the false accusations, the betrayals and the blood. I can’t be selective, I can’t choose my own adventure, I can’t pick and choose what I think is right for me according to my own style, per-sonality type, preferences or priorities.
This week, I am with Jesus.
Jesus, may the journey of this week take me outside of myself and closer to you.
Amy Welborn
Originally published in Living Faith Lent 2015
