Welcome to Lent

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (Jn 6:27)

Today begins my Daniel Fast, an intense period of seeking God.  God isn't lost or anything.  He's always near and living in me, but I can get lost.  In the midst of piling activities and responsibilities it's very easy to get out of touch.  I am turning fifty in June and my body is reminding me that I am getting older.  But will I get wiser?

The journey of Lent is something I have wrestled with over the years. i didn't really keep any kind of Lenten devotion in my childhood or even later in life.  Now as a pastor I feel compelled to explore the blessings of this season of intense preparation for the joy of Easter.  It is a time of seeking balance between the spiritual and the physical, a righting of the heart and mind and body.  Often we give up something we love (perhaps a bit more than we do God).  Other times we take on something extra in our life to give to others.  We give to charity. We volunteer in mission and ministry. We add an addition spiritual practice to our devotional life to fill our lives with faith.  Whatever the practice may be, there is only one destination.  That destination is the embrace of God.

For me this Lent is especially an important one.  With all the changes going on in my life, church  and family, I am feeling out of sorts and not quite tracking with everything.  I feel out of sync.  I am functional and not particularly unhappy, but underneath there's a weariness and it's beginning to surface.  I have forgotten obligations on my calendar.  I have not returned phone calls. I have misplaced items. All of this adds to a chaos brewing in me.

The good news of course is that God brings life out of chaos.  I am expecting a major leap forward in growth and maturity.  I cannot guarantee this, but I sense it.  I am open. I am willing.  I am clay in the Potter's hands.

Lord Jesus, I am entirely trusting in Your grace to get me where you want me in the journey.  When I hunger, let me hunger only for you.  When I crave, let my cravings be redeemed with a longing for the food only You can give. Amen.