As we embark on our Lenten journey, the days get longer and lighter. And we intentionally enter a period of enhancing our relationship with the God of our understanding.
We find ourselves in the wilderness or the desert – literally and figuratively.
Jesus went out into the desert to confront the things that might distract him for following the way of God. He went there to see his fears, his desires and his attachments more vividly, to name them and be more free from them, in order to become more loving. This is the invitation for us also.
- We take time to examine our thoughts, our motives, our actions.
- We confess the ways that we have not loved well.
- And we commit to a spiritual practice of personal prayer, meditation, restraint, acts of generosity and kindness.
The grace of the desert is that we are surprised by Presence. Angels, refreshing water and new life come from the places of struggle.
Qualities like patience come from our waiting.
