Another year has passed. A busy year, and somewhat stressful as predicted. Yet, I'm persevering, and I'm doing so with gratitude.
It would be so easy sometimes to give in to the stress, to be angry or depressed or overwhelmed. I've been there in the past, but I made a decision several years ago - honestly, it was after I finished chemo - that I didn't want to live my life like that. I had been given a gift, a chance to make positive changes in my life. I'm still working on that - it's not easy by any means. However, I'm finding it worth the effort. Living life expressing gratitude rather than discontent has made all the difference in the world.
Lent has begun today, and I'm committed to reading more scriptural texts and writing about them when something speaks to me. I've done this in the past, but my spirituality has been - if not exactly shallow - not completely connected to my faith either. I'm hoping to rectify that during these next 40 days.
I'm using a couple of different resource materials, and a passage in a Lenten booklet by Sacred Space gave me food for thought today:
Your light will rise in the darkness. (Isaiah 58:10)
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like a noonday. (Isaiah 58:9-10)
You are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)
The symbolism of light touches me deeply (in fact, I believe I've written about it here in the past). For me light means goodness, wisdom and a holiness that is Christ-centered. It is a privilege to reflect that light "into the dark places of the world." That seems like a good place to start this year as I journey toward Easter and Christ's Resurrection.
