Happy Ash Wednesday. Where we as a collective voluntarily wander into the desert, take a look at our heart in the light of the beauty of God’s Love. Or we wander over to Elijah’s cave, to listen for God’s voice.
In Lent the call is to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Three things that are part and parcel of daily life, and that we take a bit more deeply into practice in Lent. In Lent we model Jesus going out into the desert before beginning His public ministry. Probably about twenty years ago in what is something of a, “God I love you” moment I chose to take something on during Lent rather than “giving something up.” What I’ve come to realize is that this taking something on is giving time to God. In giving my time to the Father I am giving something up, my time. Oh how that made me laugh!
This Lent I am once again taking something on and giving of myself all in the same moment through breaking open in a meditation on Mulieris Dignitatem written by Pope St John Paul II. This is being presented on Monday night and Tuesday morning. Please pray for me through this. We will go right into Easter as we won’t meet during Holy Week and one more week as our Pastor desires to have dinner with us the last night.
One thing I hope to add is at least weekly prayer reflections here on A Quilters Heart.
For our final Institute of Spiritual Direction reflection we are in one sense going back to the beginning by reflecting through writing where we are now and what’s happened along the way, how we’ve changed and grown. On our last formation weekend we were encouraged to reflect on our image of God. An image is one facet of looking at our own perceptions in our limited human experience. Essentially we live metaphor, “God is like. . . ” which is in and of itself part of the relational aspect of who we are as children of God. Through the eyes of our Heart, the eyes of faith, through touch, taste, intellect, emotion, through word and words.
Most recently my image of God is of Father who continually invites me to sit on His lap and rest my head on His chest to listen to His heart.
And so there is continued pondering this place of being with God, it is dynamic.
Happy Lent,
Teri
A Quilter's Heart 