Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!. Praise be His most holy Name. Praise be to God, the most High. He is all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful. He is God!
Thank You, Lord, for life. Thank You, Lord, for family and friends. Thank You, Lord, for all that You have provided. Thank You for Your Mother, Your Church, Your Body! You have not abandoned us, but continue to lovingly care for us. Thank You for all that You do, all that You allow, and all that You are!
Forgive me, God, for the times I fail to remember that You are God. Forgive me for the times I fail to notice all thy benefits. Forgive me for my sins, the sins of my family, the sins of my parish, the sins of my city, state, and country. Forgive me for my forgetfulness and short-sightedness.
As hubby and I are discerning how to lead the family this Lent, I am reflecting on all that God has blessed, taught, revealed, and challenged recently. I am reflecting on just how He is in everything! He is in the happy, expectant moments. He is in the unexpected hiccups of life. He is in the moments of loss. He is amid the visits among friends and neighbors. I am remembering that many times, we plan and then, God plans. They are many times very different, but one is perfect.
This Lent will be simple, so as to “get out of God’s way”. I am leaving details up to Him, who has the perfect plan, still allowing opportunities for Him to change hearts and perform miracles!
I trust God will bless this “lack of detail” on my part, because it contradicts my usual, very human, tendency to plan and expect, and just this week (you know that is no accident), I read that holiness is dying to self. Every Lent is exactly that opportunity: to lift and carry our cross and die to self.
A wonderful friend of mine, who God has arranged for me to see twice a week lately, engaged in the normal small talk we all have, asking how things are and the like. When the typical expected response of “I’m fine” did not match the expression on her face, I was prompted to express what God had placed on my heart when I experience that disconnect regularly.
We all have our crosses, don’t we? Sometimes, we drag it. Sometimes, we carry it with grace. Sometimes, we fall under its weight. Sometimes, it seems so light. Sometimes, we wish we could attach it to the back of our truck and tow it!
And then, we laughed together. I thank God that He found those words in the spirit in which they were said. I needed to say them as much as she may have needed to hear them. I needed them at this time, a reminder of the purpose of Lent, and how my goal is to be able to carry the cross with grace, knowing how very human we are!
What will your Lent be like? How will you grow in holiness? How will you strive to carry your cross? Are you allowing for God to show up and tweak your plans, and arrange the details more perfectly than you could have ever imagined?
Photo by Nikola Tomašić on Unsplash
