Transitions - March/April Spire

"Lenten Reflection"

I am always looking for new ways to "move closer to God."  One way that I strive to do this is through prayer, which may better be described as meditation or reflection. I find that in order to stay focused I need to ask questions. The questions I ask vary, yet the goal is always the same: to move away from the business and busyness of life so that I can better focus on my spiritual growth. The more hectic or complicated my life, the harder this is to do. I don't think that this reality is unique to me. We are all busier, and in some ways more anxious, about so many things. In truth, many of the things we are busier doing and worrying about are not nearly as important as we think they are.

I need help remembering this. I also recognize that, to have any hope of remembering this, I need variation in my prayer life. So I am always looking for different reflections to use as a guide. Sometimes they are completely new. Other times they are reflections I have used before which I rediscover. Because in our life journey each of us is always evolving, a reflection used before becomes a new opportunity to reconnect with God, our neighbors and ourselves.

With this in mind, I share with you some questions that I will be asking myself this Lenten Season. I invite you to use them, or share them with someone else. The questions are not very profound, but they have a way of centering me amid the busyness: 

· What attribute of God is most important to you this morning?

· What do you need to confess? Psalm 107:1-9

· What are the things for which you are most thankful?

· What do you desire for others?

When I’ve used these questions before, I've noticed  that my answers change--maybe not daily, but often. As I have dealt with "the issues of the day or week" and discovered how God has empowered me to do this, I have been continually reminded of the vastness of who God is and how God moves in and through life. This learning has been enlightening and humbling. It has also been empowering.

As you move through this Lenten Season, I encourage you to ask questions in your own reflection. Questions have a way of drawing us out of ourselves, even as they draw out the truth of who we are and what we hope, need and desire. This truth has a way of opening us to the hope and new life that comes in and through Easter. And in the end, isn’t this the purpose of Lent?

Peace,
Eric