“Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart … “ – Joel 2:12 
 
Too often, we approach Ash Wednesday with liturgical gloom and doom. It’s the “black sheep” of the family of dark solemnities in the liturgical calendar, failing even to garner status as a holy day of obligation. But when painted in this light, it’s easy to miss its beautiful invitation to claim our brokenness, embrace our vulnerability, and stand in solidarity with all those who do the same. 
 
The difference between the good in us and the bad in us is sometimes frightfully thin. We so often fall short of the Faith we claim. We have treated people as things and we have treated things as if they were valuable people. 
 
Lent is a season that reminds us to repent and get our lives centered, our priorities straight, and our hearts clean. This holy season offers us a new chance to say, "yes" to the Lover of our Souls who created us and who made us in his own image. Lent is the time for a restoration project that will reveal the beauty of God’s design for us, showing once again the scale, proportion, and priorities intended by our Maker. 
 
Lent is a season of hope and with ashes on our foreheads and hope in our hearts, we go forth to love and serve. For by God’s grace in Christ, we do not have to stay the way we are. 
 
God is ready to heal our woundedness, to make us more whole than ever before. Ash Wednesday is our call to make room for the divine dance to work its sacred magic within us. 
 
Lover of my Soul, as I begin this year's Lenten Journey, turn my attention to the things that matter most to you. Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

“'Who will bring me down to earth?'” - Obadiah 1:3 

Have you ever known someone who is so stuck on themself? Seems like they walk around all day with their head in the clouds. "Smell me," we say about them. 

But has that "someone" ever been you? Have you ever been so "puffed up" after making a great play in a ballgame, hearing a thunderous ovation after a performance, getting a pat on the back after signing a tough business deal, or acing an examination at school? 

While those can be worthy reasons to celebrate, we must remember the source of the good that has happened to us. If not, we will, usually, inevitably, be quickly reminded of that source. 

God has a knack of bringing us down to earth in a flash. That great day you had yesterday turns into a day of disasters today. We've all been there. 

Enjoy the moment. Proudly keep your head in the clouds. But know your God brings you down to earth. Make the ride a smooth one. 

Father God, as you remind us through your Word: "Though you soar like the eagle, and your nest is set upon the stars, from there I will bring you down." (Obadiah 1:4) Thank you, God, for the ride. Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer