Heart Spring on the Horizon

I look at my calendar multiple times every day, and yet I was surprised to see that Ash Wednesday is next week...which means Lent begins next week.

Lent - next week - how did that happen?  Wasn't it just Christmas?  In truth, it feels like yesterday was Thanksgiving!  How quickly time passes...

Lent is a season I prepare for, lest I miss the rich blessings this season brings.  I try to quiet my calendar a bit during Lent (which I also try to do during Advent).  I endeavor to spend a bit more time doing those things that help me to be more aware of God's presence - prayer, reading, silence, time in nature, and time caring for others.  Getting the mix just right is always a challenge, but doing a little more of what opens my heart to God and doing a little less of the things that close my heart is a good place to start.

I've selected four books to help me through the Lenten Journey (others may be added along the way, but this is where I will start): Bread and Wine - Readings for Lent and Easter, published by Orbis Books, will be one of my daily devotionals.  The breadth of the selection of readings included in this devotional is remarkable, including works by Saint Augustine and Oscar Wilde; Barbara Brown Taylor and Mother Theresa.  It looks like it will challenge me each day.  The second devotional I've selected is Show Me The Way - Daily Lenten Readings by Henri J. M. Nouwen.  I am a great fan of Nouwen's works, and find that they help me to travel more deeply into my relationship with God.  I've chosen Nouwen's classic Life of the Beloved as my third book for Lent, along with Gerald May's The Awakened Heart.  These books should help me to keep a whole and holy Lent, and prepare my heart for spring.

From what will I fast?  I smile as the first word that crosses my mind is "meetings," but that is a bit like being a child deciding to fast from eating broccoli.  I haven't decided yet what I will give up during Lent, nor have I decided what I will take on as a new positive discipline.  I will think about this over the weekend, and ask God to show me what might be helpful to my growth.  I can think of some safe choices, and I confess that there is part of me that would rather pick one of my safe options instead of inviting God into the conversation, lest God make a suggestion that would take me in a direction I can't control.

But then I remember what those times were like when I did invite God into the discussion...and things did go in an unexpected direction...and my life was richer for it.  There really is nothing to fear.

How do you plan to keep Lent this year?  Six weeks to focus on growing closer to God, growing into being your best and truest self, and growing into a greater capacity for service.  What a gift!  Let's not waste this amazing gift, but instead let's make the most of this preparation for new life.  The spring of the heart is just a little more than six weeks away!

Blessings,
Kim