Lent

Lent is such a beautiful time of year. To me, it involves making extra time for prayer and contemplation, and seeking out new spiritual guidance, and returning to old spiritual friends (like favorite spiritual authors). I enjoy finding the extra peace in each day. I have set up two places in my house for prayer and contemplation. I have developed new meditations to enjoy throughout the day.

God is the life force that flows through my being and gives me my being. Everything I am that is good comes from nurturing, cultivating and paying attention to the source of goodness within me: God. I am good when I remember  that God dwells within each of my fellow humans, and when I look for Him there. Yes, within each of us.

It is so easy to feel as if I can see the imperfections and emotional struggles of others perfectly. At times like this (Lent), I remember that my calling is to see the beauty and the soul of others around me. God dwells in each of us.

God is present in our struggles.  God is present in the tortured man who is overcome by evil and acts upon it; God is within that man too: His heart breaking.

I know that there is a great unknowable force for good at work in the universe, greater indeed than the universe itself.

I know that my work on earth is to navigate all of life's challenges, using God, as revealed to me in Jesus, as my compass. I will have ups and downs, I will have smooth sailing and I will have storms and I will persevere until my days here on earth are over. When that final day comes, I will lift my heart to God in trust.

Lord, let me remember that I cannot walk in anyone else's shoes; let me feel compassion for all of humankind; let me remember my own faults before those of others.

Love,

Me

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