"Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God."
Joel 2:13
When I heard this reading (Joel 2:12-18) today, as proclaimed on Pray-As-You-Go, this one phrase jumped out at me. It occurs to me that the real change that takes place in us throughout Lent is an inside job. We can go through all the motions, show up at all the Lent events, do all the prescribed stuff, and if our hearts are not turning back to God and changing, all is for not. The bottom line is that our hearts need to return to God and thus become more loving, loving others more like God loves. It also reminds me of the verse about mercy versus sacrifice. God prefers the former, not the latter. So, as we embark on this forty days of Lent, let's realize that it isn't what we do for Lent or don't do for Lent. Lent is about rendering our hearts and turning back to God. Giving our hearts to God who, alone, can help us to become more loving toward others. The real work of Lent is an inside job. Love, heidi
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