Faith

The word for today is “wonder”.  I see opportunities for wonder all around me in God’s creation.  The fleeting smile on a newborn baby’s face, the majesty of the Grand Canyon, the beauty of a rose – all of these are “wonder”-ful to me.

If we fail to see the wonders which surround us, we are missing some of the best things in this gift of life we have been given.

I somehow got behind things yesterday and missed blogging.  The word was “World”.   This is one of my favorite words for Lent.  To me this is simply living in the “World” but not being of the “World”.  It’s a difficult charge to the Christian to do this.  Getting caught up in worldly things is so easy to do, much like my time disappearing yesterday.

Accomplishing this separateness requires that we set aside time to anchor ourselves in Christ.  That is definitely one of the things I need to work on for myself.

Settle is the challenge word today.  Settle seems to have two very different interpretations in popular culture.  To settle for something implies that you are going to accept less than what was desired.  That’s a negative connotation.  Then there is to settle down as in to find your soul mate and begin a new life together.  That’s a positive connotation in my book.  There is a third meaning as well  - to settle as in to rest.  I know I have said it many times to my own children “Settle down!”

Now what could it mean with respect to Lent?  I suspect it is to rest in Christ and his unending love for us.  We are so blessed!  I also think this may be one of the harder things to do when we find ourselves wrapped up in the busyness that is our modern life.  Finding time to settle with Christ – how do you do it?  I think spending time in the Word as well as time in prayer are the two practices that help me most.  I also find (or at least I used to find…) that worship can help me settle with Christ.  Worship can be restorative for the soul.

I would love to know what helps you settle in Christ.

Injustice is the word for the Lenten challenge today.  The world is full of injustice!  In the headlines this week was the murder of a beautiful, smart, young woman at the hands of her superstar athlete boyfriend.  This woman spoke out frequently against domestic violence.  Her death is a horrible injustice.

I pray that my eyes might be opened to injustices happening around me during this season. Make me aware oh Lord, so that I might speak up and be a voice for those who are suffering.

The challenge word for today is “see”.  There was much to see today in the news:  a meteor that caused much damage in Russia and another asteroid that passed by with no problems. Somehow, I think that is not what is intended here.  I think Lent invites us to see the world through different eyes.  As we contemplate our own sins, our own unworthiness, we can begin to see the world differently.  It would seem that the ultimate goal is to see the world through Christ’s eyes.