I feel like an onion. Like God is just peeling and peeling away the layers of my life. Here I am, passively sitting while another layer bites the dust. I watch it drop to the floor, and yes, the whole process can bring tears to ones eyes.

Someone asked Michelangelo how he made his famous sculpture David. He responded, "I took a rock and cut away all that wasn't David."

In the Eastern world, they refer to false self and real self, I think there's a lot of truth there. Life is detaching from the false self, or allowing God to cut away all that isn't me, all that is sin, all that is not able to be united to Christ.

This week started rather poorly. Woke up Monday morning not feeling well. About a dozen little things went wrong right off the bat, like no eggs in the house when I really wanted scrambled eggs. Before you know it, I was venting and then getting criticized from everyone in the house, which didn't help a whole lot. I just wanted eggs!

Or did I? I gave up and took my shower, thinking what do I really want? Breakfast at the expense of ruining everyones morning, including mine? What I really want, what I really desire, is simple: Christ in me. But it's so easy to get off track, to follow this false self, the flesh, whatever is not me.

Almost 30 years ago when I was young(er), I wanted to do something great for God. Went to live in the inner city for 7 years, thought I'd be the next great missionary to the poor. Adopted 3 children. Made a few sacrifices. Somewhere along the way, like the fourth wiseman, it becomes apparent I may not do great things for God, not in the way I thought. Now, instead of doing great things for God, I simply want to be for the Great God. As he peels away another layer, another illusion of what I thought I had to "do" for Him, leaving me with only the ability to "be" for Him.

And I thank Him for it.