In preparing for Lent this year, I’m asking myself what I’m allowing to distract me. If I rid myself of distractions, I’m forced to encounter circumstances or truths that I don’t want to deal with. Lent can be excruciating. But, when I notice the work of God in my life, I learn to pause.
Every Lent, I get a little glimpse into the ways I’ve tried to be self-sustaining, doing my best not to need anyone outside myself. I need people with whom I can weep and celebrate and pray. I need Jesus to come.
This message is an excerpt from “Just notice: Walking into Lent with Martha” by Cara Strickland in the March 2017 issue of Gather magazine. Today is the fourth Sunday in Lent. The readings are 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41.
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