Thoughts from the woodshed

"The garbage in most of our lives is the relentless anxiety and agitation created by the fear that we will not get enough of the world's goodies to feel safe, secure, and turned on."
Brennan Manning, "Reflections for Ragamuffins"

Oh. My. Goodness. We're being taken to the woodshed here, this first Friday of Lent. And you know what? Brennan Manning is right. How much of the rhetoric do we hear is so much about what we should get, what we deserve, what is due us? How much less is about what we should be doing for others? Lent is a time for us to concentrate on helping others, not what we should get ourselves. If we sacrifice somewhere in our lives, that sacrifice should show up in another person's cupboard. In today's first reading, God takes the Israelites to the woodshed, too, saying through the prophet Isaiah, "This, rather is the fasting I wish...sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless..." (Isaiah 58:6,7) We need to let go of the "what's in it for me?" attitude and direct our focus to serving others. In turning a phrase from JFK, "Ask not what others can do for you, ask what you can do for others." Love, heidi

The gate is open...

"Today the iron gate of the Lenten labyrinth swings open. The creaking sound of its hinges can make you aware that before you lies a long journey of forty days and nights."
Ed Hays, "The Lenten Labyrinth"

Lent is such a journey! Not just passing time and crossing off days until Easter, but a journey of penance, forgiveness, sharing, praying, the whole bit. Lent and its journey are like a microcosm of our lives as a whole. One can fit a whole life of growth into Lent. Wow--that is daunting, you say! And true, it is! But the wonderful thing about the labyrinth is that it is one step at a time. Praying in the labyrinth teaches us that we just have to look to the next step and that is easy. Looking at the whole thing may be perplexing and complicated, but taking just one step further is relatively easy. So, let's take this Lenten journey one step at a time. Today, only, is our focus. The gate is open. We are inside! Let's go! Love, heidi

Three questions...

"A while ago, I read a wise adage that urged everyone who speaks about another to first ask three questions: 'Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?' Only if the response is yes to all three should the person continue speaking."
Sr. Joyce Rupp, "Living Faith"

Lent begins tomorrow (I know, right? So soon?) And it is such a wonderful chance for us to change, not only our hearts, but our habits. When we read this at 4th day last week it rang out as such a concrete way to change our gossiping habits. It is so easy to chime into the gossip and get caught up in others' foibles and failures. That could be OUR biggest, most glaring failure! So, today is a good time to think about how we plan to draw closer to God during this Lent. How can we free ourselves up a bit, so that there is room for God in our minds, in our hearts, in our days. Can we free our tongues from the grip of the devil and ask these three questions before saying something about another? I'm sure hoping I can! Love and enjoy your Shrove Tuesday! heidi

Give life to our love...

"For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
James 2:26

As many times as I have heard and read this scripture, it seemed I read it with new eyes this morning. The argument seems strange to me because Jesus' very own words to us throughout the gospels indicate that we can't just sit around idle. Our love for God must manifest itself in our works. Our love for God must have hands and feet and voice. We must DO our love; not to prove it as such, but to give our love life. And God helps us with that constantly. As followers of Christ, God reaches in and actually shapes our desires. We don't just grudgingly go through the motions of doing God's work, but we want to. God puts that desire deep into our hearts. There is a pull towards doing God's will, especially if we find ways to think about and celebrate God in our work-a-day lives. Our spirits need to dance our love for God. And our actions must follow. Blessings on your weekend! Love, heidi

20/20 vision...

"He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village."
Mark 8:23

There are so many wonderful metaphors in this whole gospel, but this one is my favorite. After taking the man out of the village, Jesus heals this blind man in stages, putting spittle on his eyes and asking him, "Do you see anything?" (It reminds me of my job, trying various low vision aids with a client and asking, "So, how is that?") "The Word Among Us" offers many good explanations, such as Jesus healing us in stages, too. Or our vocations, seemingly murky at first, gradually come into focus as we continue to be healed by Jesus, but it may not be crystal-clear all at once. But the metaphor I like best is Jesus taking the man by the hand and leading him where he wanted him to go. Jesus knows I need that kind of attention to get me to do what I should do! Jesus keeps working on the man until his vision is clear, he doesn't ever give up and say, "That should be good enough to read the headlines!" He stays with the man until the vision is clear and after that, he tells the man EXACTLY what to do. Yep, that is what I need! Love, heidi

Love, love, love...

"All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..."
James 1:17

Today, as we celebrate the feast of love, let us keep in mind who gave us love in the first place! We could not love without having been loved into existence by God. Every good in our lives is a gift from the origin of love, the founder of love, and love itself...God. This holiday may be about hearts and flowers, chocolate and kisses, but underlying it all is Our God, who loves us without measure...and that is hard for us to comprehend! Today, and every day, let Love rule our hearts and let us remember that every perfect gift is from above. Love (and I mean that!) heidi