The Christmas lights are finally off my house! This past Saturday, I finally had a nice day to climb up on the roof, and remove the last remnant of this past Christmas. No, I have not been plugging them in at night, but they have been hanging there since this past Thanksgiving weekend. I cannot believe I have not had a free weekend since December to take them down. It is amazing how time flies when you are not paying attention to it! When you are paying a closer attention to time, it seems to move so slow! Welcome to this season of LENT. One writer referred to LENT as a season of active hoping. Looking forward to something can be excited, but it can also be laboring in learning to be patient. While we wait, we ought to use this time to press more into God and His ways. My Trumpet and Torch devotion (www.trumpetandtorch.com) shared today, “This journey of LENT is not about what we’re doing. It’s about what God is doing in us, and what he will do through us. It’s a journey of revelation, and through it we are becoming more aware – aware of time we waste, aware of opportunities we miss, and aware of gifts we squander. We are also seeing, with renewed vision, those around us who are deeply hurting.”
Are you taking the journey? Take a day or two during LENT to surrender something unto God. Maybe it’s food, or an activity, or a treat. Don’t forget that as you surrender, it now frees up some attention you can give to God. Take time to record what God reveals to you. You might be surprised, and I know you will be blessed!
Well now I have to go and take down my Christmas Tree (Just Joking!)!
Pastor Todd- I can relate to time slipping away and how busy this environment of Northern Va can be as we weave in and out of the challenges this area presents.
Since the beginning of LENT, I have abstained from meat (all but one day) and cut my TV time down to only news and a finiancial program each night. Laura & I have spent this newly found time together in conversation both reflecting and looking forward. Also, I have increased my Bible reading which is something I have needed to do for some time now (just keeping it real).
Inward reflection for me has been a good thing. We all need to realize that taking a little time to search our inner most thoughts can be valueable as we position (spiritually) for the future. Be Blessed- Rob
Pastor Todd, I also recently put away the last vestiges of Christmas -like sweeping away the last crumbs of leven- before Lent. This year it was tough for me and my son, James, to let go of Christmas. Yet I have found studying Nehemiah to be very motivating. So much so that I reviewed the entire history of the Israelite exhile using the Chronological Bible. How incredibly divine for God to link the hearts, minds and talents of so many different individuals together into a tapestry of restoration. I see this echoed in my own life as God used so many individuals to challenge, encourage and support me through my own spiritual exhile. Now I can see Him working the same way in the lives of those around me. As I prepare for Easter, I am thankful for God’s orchestration of events and lives to bring me closer to Him and make me more like Christ. I am thankful as well when He chooses to use me in this way in the lives of others. May we all heed His call to do our part in the restoration of the body of Christ in our time. And may this Easter be one in which we all say – the Lord has built this house.
Angie