kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

Lent can be more than a time of fasting; it can be a season of feasting. We can use Lent to fast from certain things and to feast on others. Lent is a season in which we can:

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ indwelling them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal Truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

- William Arthur Ward
(American author, teacher and pastor, 1921-1994.)

There’s quite a few of those that I could do well to listen to, and act upon, sometimes. Real food for thought this Lent.

Our lives are laid open before you

I struggle quite a lot with my health; sometimes worse than others. I’m going through a bad patch just now. When I hit the bad times, the thought of my life being open before God, can strike me in two ways, depending on my mental state at the time.

If I’m feeling low, I might start to wonder why God allows my health to be as it is; why can’t I receive a miraculous healing. And I never really find an answer to that, in just the same way that many millions of people who’ve suffered in any way over the years can’t find an answer to the “why” question.

When I’m feeling better in myself, my questions are very different. I start to wonder what God wants from me that I can do despite my health issues. Or, even more importantly, what am I able to do that I couldn’t do if I was healthy.

Time is one of the big things my health gives me. There are many times I’m unable to do anything physically. I have the time to pray, that I perhaps wouldn’t have if I were fit and working. This blog is becoming more and more important to me. There are very few people reading it yet, but I’m still in the process of building up a body of work. Who knows how it might develop in the future.

I believe very strongly that God has a plan for all of us, our lives are laid out before him. And I believe that when he calls us to anything, he also enables us. So, somehow, despite my health, or even because of it, I will be able to serve some purpose in this world.

Holy God,
our lives are laid open before you:
rescue us from the chaos of sin
and through the death of your Son
bring us healing and make us whole
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for Ash Wednesday
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council