Do you ever worry?
Do your days sometimes seem empty?
Do you worry that you are living on autopilot?
When joy seems out of reach, our first impulse is often to do more. “If I just read my Bible and prayed every day,” we say to ourselves, “I wouldn’t feel this way.” As if we’re being punished for not completing an invisible checklist of daily spiritual activities.
Reading your Bible is good. Praying every day is good. But the goodness isn’t found just because you did those things. Think of the Pharisees. They were steeped in the Torah and made a big deal out of their prayers. And yet they were anything but good.
If you want to taste and see that the Lord is good, you need to start by focusing on the goal. Are you just trying to “feel better”? Or do you really want more to be closer to Christ?
In the northern hemisphere, the season of Lent typically straddles the seasons of winter and spring. That’s a beautiful metaphor. By the time Ash Wednesday rolls around, we’ve spent months living in a season that looks and feels like death. We’re tired of bare trees. Our souls ache for event a hint of greenery.
Lent is an invitation to reflect on death honestly. The signs of death around us as well as the death within us. We all possess darkness that we’d like to pretend isn’t there. Like children, we bury our heads under blankets, hoping that the darkness will just go away and leave us alone.
You and I both know that doesn’t work.
What does work is facing our darkness. Only then can we speak the Light of Life into it. Only then we can dispel it with the truth that He’s declared over it. Only then can we walk in his presence, unashamed and unafraid.
If you’re hungry for a deeper, richer, faith-filled life, download our HOLY40 program.
Designed to be completed during the season of Lent, this 40-day spiritual experience will help you connect with Jesus in a meaningful way. If you immerse yourself in it, you can feel his presence, hear his voice, and dwell in his love.
Practically speaking, this program will take you through six pairs of practices, one at a time, over the course of forty days. Each practice presents you with three options that reflect different levels of engagement. It’s important to choose the level of engagement that feels right for you. Remember, this process is not about the specific practice but where the practice leads you: to more closeness with Christ.
Each weekly pair of practices comes with a week’s worth of daily pages. These pages are journaling templates that will guide you to reflect on how you are feeling, prompt you to ask God questions, and invite you to listen for his responses. They also provide you with a daily Scripture for reflection and a space to create a one-word prayer so you can carry the essence of your daily experience with you.
Don’t settle for autopilot, emptiness, and worry. Take a step towards your fullness and embrace the season of Lent, that you might find God and the true delight he has to offer.
