Lent

This is my first year of actually going through Lent with an understanding and a heart to learn more about it. I grew up knowing about it and I remember going to school with many classmates who would come to class one Wednesday morning every year with Ashes on their forehead in the shape of a cross. I sadly always figured oh that's a "Catholic" thing.

Then this year Lent was brought up to my attention more and one of my big sister's in Christ challenged me to do the 40 day fast with her giving up sweets. Fasting has always been a battle for me, giving up food for a meal or day sounds like torture but this year God has been teaching/pruning/sifting through my heart and showing me how I idolize food using it to bring comfort instead of Him who is my comforter.

As I have been researching I read Ann Voscamps blog about Lent and she referenced this little devotion book. This is my first morning sitting and meditating through it. It is amazing!! I highly recommend it and it is great for family devotions too!! Here is poem from week one, "Identifying Discontent"

Awe-Full

Great and holy God

awe and reverence

fear and trembling

do not come easily to us

for we are not

Old Testament Jews

or Moses

or mystics

or sensitive enough.

Forgive us

for slouching into Your presence

with little expectation

and less awe

than we would eagerly give a visiting dignitary

We need

neither Jehovah nor a buddy-

neither the "the Great and Powerful Oz nor "the man upstairs."

Help us

to want what we need...

You

God

and may the alter of our hearts tremble with delight

at

Your visitation

amen.

-Frederick Ohler