New Birth

   A Lenten discipline: Beginning
           You must be born again.
                           —John 3.7

In the season of Lent Jesus invites us
to practice the discipline of beginning.

God, give me grace to let go of who I have been,
what I have done and not done,
all pride of accomplishment and guilt over failure—
and start over, like a newborn child.
Give me such trust in your absolute, profound forgiveness
that I am free to begin anew.
Help me to let go of having it all figured out,
to be a rookie. Beginner's mind.
To be a learner, attentive each moment,
free of old habits and assumptions,
seeing as if for the first time.
To ask for help and be willing to be led,
as utterly reliant on you
as a newborn infant in my mother's arms.

Breath prayer:
                            Begin … anew
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net