Thursday, February 18th, 2021

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

“Today, I call heaven and earth to witness against you: I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of Yahweh your God, obeying his voice, holding fast to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends the length of time that you stay in the country which Yahweh swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would give them.”

“A life of faith is a life of gratitude.” -Henri Nouwen.

A life of faith is a life that is dependent upon God; it is praising God and thanking God unceasingly. I whole heartedly agree with Mr. Nouwen, I also am acutely aware of my ineptness to be obedient. When I was much younger I found the verse and phrase “pray without ceasing” very difficult to comprehend.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSVA)

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

It took some time but I think I now understand that “without ceasing” has more to do with ones actions and overall perception towards God and the life He created. Praying without ceasing seemed impossible to my young mind but as an adult I see more clearly, my praying without ceasing has less to do about my words, a bowed head and clasp hands; (although still relevant) and a lot more to do with my entire being and connection with God. I find myself praying in the most remote places, in my car, in an elevator, in line at the grocery, at scenes of accidents, and seeing emergency vehicles just to name a few. These are all possible because I know that God is with me always. He is with you too, my friends. As we journey together through Lent let us be mindful that we are all God’s children, He loves each of us and He will never leave us. Do not confuse obedience with perfection. God has never ask us for what we cannot do. We are human, not an excuse but a truth that we are born into a sinful nature. We live in a world overshadowed at times with darkness and temptations, we must seek the light, the Light of Jesus and find the perfect love that can only be found in God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“…Though the light has come into the world

people have preferred

darkness to the light

because their deeds were evil.

And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it,

to prevent his actions from being shown up;

but whoever does the truth

comes out into the light,

so that what he is doing may plainly appear as done in God.”

— John 3:19-21

Lenten M•I•C•R•O Practice for today:

Pick something that happens regularly— like brushing your teeth, taking a walk or washing dishes. Say a prayer when completing these task.

~Prayer~

O God, you are not far from any of us,

since it is in you that we live,

and move, and exist.

You, who have overlooked the times of ignorance,

that they must now repent.

— After Acts 18:27-28, 30

~Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

References:

Show Me The Way by Henri J. M. Nouwen

• The Crossroad Publishing Company (1992)

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Hello my dear friends around the world and close to home—

As the season of Lent begins, let us be reminded that this is a time of be nearer to God. It is a time of prayer and fasting as we journey the path that Christ traveled to Jerusalem, to Golgotha and to His final victory over death. The road we must travel has been described by many as a “narrow path” and not a wide and gentle avenue. Lent is a time of recognizing and putting aside the things of darkness and putting upon ourselves the light, the light of Jesus Christ.

As we spend time in prayer, let us be mindful to listen for God’s voice. Pray is not a one way conversation, it’s easy to present our needs, wants and yes, even our desires to God; but how often do we stay alert and truly listen to God’s answers(?). In the busy and noisy world we live in, it can be difficult to hear our own thoughts at times. A challenge is to spend ten minutes every day with God, I believe this firm foundation is a great starting place to build our lives being in sync with our Creator. Who knows, it could change our lives from the ground up, up to the Heavens!

Henri Nouwen shared a couple of paragraphs that read like I had written it about my own life experiences; I found it to be very profound and very human, I hope it speaks to you as well.

Photo: Show Me The Way by Henri J. M. Nouwen, page 13, paragraph 2 & 3.

Lenten M•I•C•R•O Practice for today:

1. Become aware of God’s presence.

2. Review the day with gratitude.

3. Pay attention to your emotions.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.

5. Look toward tomorrow.

Prayer

Faithful God, trusting in you,

we begin

the forty days of conversion and penance.

Give us the strength for Christian discipline

that we may renounce evil

and be decisive in doing good.

We ask this through Jesus Christ. ~Amen

~Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

References:

* Show Me The Way by Henri J. M. Nouwen

* Biblical references from the New Jerusalem Bible