I'm definitely going to spend ample time trying to get to know Jesus better this Lent. 48 days I say. 40 days of Lent, 7 Sundays, and an extra day b/c I think the actions we take during Lent need to go beyond Lent. Just like I think spouses and relationships should have action on many days other than Valentine's Day. We shouldn't be forced to rediscover Jesus, it should be something we do "religiously" like brushing our teeth. We should pray and have conversations with our God not only when we're hurting, or struggling or pleading for the sake of another person. We should speak to God just like we speak to our best friends. Lent: It's like a 40 day retreat Fr. Michael Allelo said. Could we do it? Could we get rid of all the things that distract us from what is important in life? The unimportant things that consume us, the material things that keep us from being truly happy and fulfilled, could we be rid of them?
I recently came to a point where work (too much of it) was distracting me from my life in a very unhealthy and disturbing way, so much so that I started going to therapy. When I found Gwen again, I changed my focus. I took all the talk about "work/life balance" and really began to understand what that really meant. I started then to rediscover Jesus. I started waking up an hour or so early every morning. I would make a cup of coffee and sit down with a couple devotionals I have (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young in particular and Grace for the Moment by Max Locado Vol 1 and 2) and immerse myself in His word. His word changed my life. His word reminded me that ALL of my thoughts and hopes and prayers are heard, but that no matter what I want for my life, God's will for me is so precious and perfect, that all I have to do is this:
- be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)
- the Lord will fight on my behalf, I just need to be silent (Exodus 14:14)
Let's be honest...me be still? Me be quiet? Who are we fooling here? In case no one has noticed I've created a smaller version of me (who looks like this quiet man I married) who may very well be twice as talkative as I am. WOW, scary thought.
- trust in Him and lean not on my own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
- have I not commanded thee? to strong and courageous. Do not dread and do not fear. For the Lord your God is with you in ALL things and wherever you may go. (Joshua 1:9)
and the one I say daily:
- For I know my plans for you says the Lord. Plans to honor you and prosper you, not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
There are, I have heard, 365 different verses in the bible that reference in some capacity trust and faith in God. I don't think that's a mere coincidence, but I think that is direction for us to follow and believe that if we TRUST in our Lord everyday, first and foremost, that we will have lives so abundant that we can only sit back and say Thank You. WOW.
So although I feel like I got a "head start" this Lent on getting to know Jesus, I know deep in my heart that there is much much more for me to learn.
POINT TO PONDER: Jesus wants to have a deep, dynamic, personal relationship with you.
When we think of deep-dynamic-personal relationships and we make a list of people who represent those....who makes that list? Come to think of it, I don't know that anyone fits all three. It's the dynamic part that we struggle with. Dynamic - characterized by much activity and vigor, especially in bringing about change, energetic and forceful; of or relating to variation of intensity, as in musical sound. Maybe God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit is dynamic in our lives, but if not now is the time. There really is no time like the present to rekindle the fire. The truth of the matter is that He is ALWAYS there and ALWAYS allows us to start over, never to disappoint. Imagine if there was a human being in our lives that NEVER disappointed. What a thought. Do we ever sit and think about our God like that? We try. I know I try.
VERSE TO LIVE: "I am the Good Shepherd." John 10:11
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: How well do you really know Jesus?
On the scale of 1 - 10. Hmmm. I'd need some criteria to score the relationship on and get the average number. If I had to pick I'd say a 6. It's a good solid number and it leaves much room for improvement. This relationship like any, takes devotion and time and nourishment to grow. It's not a one way street, we can not just be complacent and expect things to happen on their own. Trusting in God doesn't mean we sit back and wait. We have to take action to make it a dynamic relationship.
PRAYER:
Jesus, open my heart and my soul and my mind that I can get to know you as you really are.
AMEN.
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