John 1:1
The Gospel of John is such a blessing. As Luther said, nowhere else does God so clearly lay out the doctrine of the incarnation, and of the two natures of our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been a gift from God to have the opportunity and inclination to spend time in this Gospel.
The Learn-by-Heart project is going well. I am 21 verses through, approaching the halfway point. The singular focus has been practical and valuable so far. Whereas during the Chubb Challenge I was struggling to keep up with existing real-life commitments because of all the pursuits of the Challenge, now I was able to have a very productive Friday and Saturday - in part because of the lack of pressure brought on by my manmade "law". In fact, had the Chubb Challenge been continuing, it would have been one of the most productive days of the Challenge - but I needed the pressure to be off, in order to free up time and mental capacity to complete some necessary work.
I am working toward December 15th and relearning an important lesson: Change - even sanctification - will not happen all at once as you imagine, but will be worked in you little by little by the power of the Holy Spirit working through his Word and Sacraments.
So in setting goals, as much as you know that many, many things about you should change, do not imagine you can become an idealized version of yourself all at once. Instead, be patient, trust that your life is not an emergency, and take comfort that you are a baptized son of God. Set small goals and build small habits of prayer and piety, trusting to God's patient mercy to slowly "create in me a clean heart" - a heart that is already truly clean and spotless in his sight on the day of Judgement, for Jesus' sake.
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