“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

This season of Lent, wherever it finds you, is an invitation to stop and check your coordinates: Are you on the right path? How closely does your exterior life mirror the priorities and longings of your heart? Who directs your steps: ego or soul? How much peace do you have? What do you see first: the wonder or the imperfect? Do you believe in miracles? Are you weary from carrying too heavy a load? Does fear, anxiety, resentment, busyness, sickness in mind or body have you moving at a tortoise pace in your spiritual evolving? Maybe Lent is a metaphorical “tap on the shoulder,” urging you to dig deeper for meaning. Or an opportunity to call out, “God, are you still there?” And hear God respond, “Right here with you, as promised.” And you take that sigh of relief. Always God is waiting for us to include God in the conversation of our lives. Speaking personally, I need a much quieter inner house. Space to catch my breath and ponder, create again and make plans. Wherever you are in the wilderness, open your eyes and spy the sacred around you, especially within you. Name it as such. Wouldn’t we all like to hear more stories of goodness and revelations of beauty? Whatever you do or don’t do, whatever you let go of or take on, make sure it’s not all about you. There is a soul out there, many actually, that could use your help experiencing Easter. It is remarkable how one word of hope, one act of kindness, one listening ear, one showing of mercy, one tender embrace has the power to resurrect a soul, even your soul!

Make this sacred time count for you!

Holy and Loving God,

Into the wilderness I go.

The path is unknown, but the destination is certain.

Always You are leading me toward the Eternal.

You make beautiful things out of dust.

May this be a season of uncovering the spark of You within the dust of me,

Eyes opened for the sacred woven into the imperfect.

Thank you in advance for going before me, for lighting the inevitable shadows, for providing the manna of mercy and hope, for holding my hand through the Whole of it.

May I bravely step with You into the quiet of me and listen, really listen for what my soul is trying to tell me.

Tests of trust are to be expected along Love’s way, especially when the direction is unclear, my questions find no answers, my prayers are returned with cruel silence, and fear sneaks under my breastplate.

This is when I must find Jesus in the crowd of my negative thoughts, anxious emotions and ego reigning.

Somewhere along the journey I must finally make peace with my humanness, my flaws and fears, my doubts and brokenness, even my mortality.

Only then can I enter the Promised Land.

I am of dust, but more I am of spirit.

And light and love and hope.

Nobly fashioned, creative, loved-wired and remarkably resilient.

No wonder you are in love with me.

Thumbprint me with Your love

Reveal the Divine shining beneath the dust of me,

May my life, breath by breath, tell an Easter story:

A tale of enduring love

Hope manifested

Resilience practiced

Grace sufficient

Joy complete

Peace transcendent

Resurrection certain

Heaven brought to earth.

Amen.