Lent - What does it mean for me?

 It seems like I just finished writing the Christmas posts, and now we are on Ash Wednesday. "Isn't that only for Catholics?" "What is the deal with giving something up?" "I don't do all of that legalistic stuff." I have heard the comments and thoughts on Ash Wednesday and lent for years

Here is my take on things. Lent is a remembrance and marking of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, enduring temptation from Satan. This year it is observed from February 22 to April, ending on Holy Saturday. One article stated, "Lent is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God". 

There have been times when I have 'given up' things during lent. Making a sacrifice of some pleasure to focus on the need for God to increase in my life. There are many opinions on why we give up the things we do. If the intent is just to give something up for 40 days, then return to that behavior or habit, why do it? The intent of lent is prayer and penitence, an intention of dying to sin and living for God. My daily desire is to have less of me and more of God. 

The last weeks since I posted have been filled with turmoil. Family problems that at times seemed insurmountable.  Friends going through grief and pain that I just wanted to help relieve. My studies have been on hold for weeks, but I simply couldn't focus on extensive reading and writing during this tumultuous time. I need lent. I need a breath of fresh life from God. I want to sit with Jesus and learn how he resists Satan. But sitting in the wilderness is hard, I'm ready for that too.

Jesus was actually led to the desert by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 4:1-2 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. NLT

Satan went to Jesus, and Jesus responded to each challenge by quoting Scripture. Each time Satan tempted him with great things, Jesus simply responded "the Word of God says". To prepare for the ministry Jesus had been born to do, he needed to resist temptation and rely on God, his (and our) Father. Read Matthew 4:3-11 for the whole picture of the temptation of Jesus.

That is what I want this season of lent. To turn to God, through Scripture, for guidance. To lean on God for strength to endure whatever comes next. Our world is in chaos. At the same time, there are revivals and moves of the Spirit happening in miraculous ways. I want to hear the Spirit and go wherever He leads me, as difficult as it may be. 

Whatever your lenten journey is, if you have one, I pray it is a time of listening. Let the Spirit guide you and speak to you. I will write periodically over the next 40 days, as the Spirit leads!

Prayer: Spirit lead me. Help me hear your voice and turn to the Word for guidance. Help me release forever those things that draw me away from You. Take me down to my vulnerable self, to feel the need for only You. Help me follow Jesus'  example of how to resist.  In his name I pray. Amen.

12 Days of Christmas - Keep Pondering!

Here we are to January 6. Many names for this day: Epiphany, Three Kings Day, Theophany, Baptism of Jesus, Little Christmas, and more. We could spend weeks exploring the history of this day.

For me, it is the end of this Christmas season. I have pondered so much, and I pray I caused you to stretch your mind a bit. At the beginning of this season, I posted a picture of a new knit project I was working on. It was a Twelve Days of Knitmas Mystery Knit-a-long.  The last clue was released today. I mostly stayed up with the project, completing each section as the daily clues were revealed.  I am just a bit behind, but I expect to finish it this evening or tomorrow. Mystery knit projects are fun if you don't mind not knowing the outcome! I did know that the finished item would be a cowl, and I had guidelines on the types of yarn to choose from.  I made mine completely from stash yarn, so it is truly a sampler of colors.  Probably not a designer's choice, but bits and bobs of leftover yarns bring me joy. I remember the original items that were made, and my finished cowl will coordinate with some of those sweaters.

These twelve days since Christmas have given me a chance to catch my breath and reflect on the last few months' events and pause before jumping fully into the new year. Epiphany and the remembrance of the visit from the wise men are our jumping-off points for Jesus coming into our lives.  Another definition of epiphany is an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking. An illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure. 

As you go forward into 2023, may it be filled with discoveries and a new desire to form a deeper relationship with Jesus. Just like with my knitmas project, each day is a mystery waiting to unfold. Every element of every day is a piece of your puzzle. Some may be more enjoyable than others, and some may not seem to fit at all. Embrace the mystery.

Thank you for journeying along with my musings this Advent and Christmastide. I plan to dig in and write again for Lent. As always, I write for myself but I enjoy sharing.

Challenge: Today, reflect on when you first met Jesus. How did it feel? How did it change you? Keep pondering and seeking, keep asking questions, and try new things. Pause today to give God a 'gift' - to thank Him for all He is. The greatest gift is your heart.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the ways you bless me. Help me keep seeking the mysteries found in a life with You. Please accept the gift of my love and faithful heart. May I never forget that You are the greatest gift I have ever received.  In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Mystery knit project, I still need to finish three sections and block. 

12 Days of Christmas - Ponder UNIQUE

I learned something new today! I was pondering the word unique, and when I looked it up in my Webster's 1828 dictionary it wasn't listed. I turned to the internet and discovered that unique dates back to the 17th century but wasn't used much until the end of the 18th century when it was acquired from the French.

Unique: being the only one of its kind, unlike anything else.

When I looked up synonyms these words popped up: eccentric, erratic, odd, outlandish, peculiar, quaint, singular, and strange.  All of these words mean 'departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected'; unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel. Merriam-Webster.com.  Some of those synonyms seem particularly negative to me. I would much rather be called unique than peculiar. 😊

All of us are unique in one way or another. Though we may try to conform or fit into a norm, each of us is a 'one of a kind' with our thoughts and being. I have a piece of artwork in my den that I love. I bought it at a small gift shop so many years ago that I don't even remember where or when. It has been displayed, since acquiring it, in a place where I see it daily. 

The wording: I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be. So it's easier to remember who I am. 

Before Dawn  2001 (I can't read the artist's signature).

I find it easier to 'be me' in my older age. It took a long time to get here! Sometimes I still fall into the comparison trap, or I feel like I must dress or act as others expect me to. This morning I continue to think about Mary. Did she struggle with who she was? Did she sit in the early morning and ask God, "Why me?" Did she ponder the task she was given as the mother of Jesus and feel inadequate? 

One of my favorite passages is Psalm 139:13-14 You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. NLT

Just like Mary, each of us has a purpose ordained for us by God. He created each of us to be a unique 'one-of-a-kind' person with gifts and talents that are solely ours. Most of us have stored away our Christmas decorations for another year. We are down to the last few days of this Christmas season. The visit from those wise men will be acknowledged, but that, too, will be packed away in our memory as we journey through 2023. I'm sure Mary questioned what God saw in her to choose her as the mother of Jesus. I'm also sure that others questioned that as well. 

Challenge: Ponder today what makes you unique. What does God see in you that you or others may not see? Take time today to embrace who God created you to be, and show yourself to the world.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for making me just as I am. Help me to flourish in how You created me to be. Help me not to follow the world's ways but to follow You alone. May my boldness point others to You and cause them to find their identity in You. Help me to see what You have chosen for me to do, and then let me have the faith of Mary to complete it. In Jesus' name, Amen.

12 Days of Christmas - Ponder RENEW

Here we are on the third day of 2023. I have been sitting with my new word for a few days. Renew. 

Here are a few of my scribblings as I decided on this word.

Renew: to renovate, restore to a former state, or a good state after decay, to rebuild. To repair, to revive, to begin again, to transform. I then went on a word search of some of those definitions:

renovate - to make new

restore - to return to what was lost, to bring back

rebuild - to renew

revive - return to life, recover new life, recover from neglect, to raise from depression

transform - to be changed, to change the natural disposition and temper of man from a state of enmity to God and his law into the image of God, conformed to the will of God.

All of these are from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary.  My process of choosing a word is not a simple one! My heart desires all of these things. Renovation, restoration, rebuilding, reviving, and transformation. So I settled on renew.

We renew many things in life. My car registration needs renewal, but first, the inspection. This week I will have an eye appointment, and no doubt my prescription will be renewed. Favorite shows get renewed. In the past, I subscribed to magazines that needed to be renewed; each month, prescriptions needed to be renewed. This year I am looking for something deeper with renew than just the list of things I mentioned above. I desire that transformation and revival that only come from God.

When we moved here about three and a half years ago, when I attended my first ladies' Bible study session at our new church, I was challenged to memorize Scripture. I have half-heartedly done memorization, but this was the first time I jumped in and took on the challenge. As I started that process, I realized I had memorized many more verses than I thought. One of the first that came to mind was this I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 NLT. One of the first verses I memorized in the fall of 2019 was the verse I will ponder all year regarding renew.

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT.

It is a hard challenge to not follow the behavior and customs of the world. For years all I wanted was to 'fit in.' I molded myself into someone that I thought others expected me to be. Can you imagine if Mary had simply followed the behaviors and customs of her world? She instead listened to God and obeyed. She followed His plan for her, as difficult as it was. 

I have become more comfortable with being me. It is still hard sometimes; feeling like I don't fit in. I return to that verse. I want to know what God's will for me is. This year I want to dig deep into being renewed. It is not an easy task to change the way we think. 

These twelve days of Christmas have been a time to reflect and ponder the magnitude of Christmas. Whether you truly believe it or not, Jesus did, in fact, change the world. I have loved ones who question and turn away from the Christian life. God gave us minds to question. We each have to decide for ourselves which path we will follow. The path for me is clear, I will follow Jesus. Mary had to have doubts when she learned what God's path for her was. Pain, ostracism, death, and also extreme joy. God is in it all! I would much rather go through every hardship with God than have comfort without Him. I keep my eyes on eternity rather than the temporary pleasure of this world.

Renewal takes effort and sometimes hard work. 2023 will be a year of that for me. As we ponder through just a few more days of Christmas, may you search deep for what God is saying to you this year.

Challenge: Where do you need renewal in your life? Take time today to examine yourself. Are you more comfortable conforming to the ways of the world, or are you ready to follow God? Do something today that will bring renewal!

Prayer: Lord, help me to change my thinking. Banish the thoughts that drag me down and cause me to be stuck. Put new thoughts and ideas in my mind that are pleasing to You. Transform me in a lasting way. Renovate my life, repair the damaged parts, and rebuild my spirit. Renew a right spirit within me. Thank you, Jesus, for being my guide. Amen.