This reflection is not going to have a meteorological focus! It will instead focus on our own internal weather system, at this stage of our Journey through Lent. It is an opportunity to reflect on the weather systems around us and within us through the Examen, a spiritual practice that St Ignatius of Loyola, introduced to his followers.
There are a number of phrases, currently in use, which feature ‘watching’. People watching, bird watching, watching paint dry, watching your weight, watching grass grow, clock watching, to name but a few. We tend not to watch paint dry or the grass grow. But, which of us has not, on occasions and for various reasons, watched the clock!
Where does the Way of Wisdom fit into the season of Lent with its emphasis on prayer and fasting and almsgiving?
Well if, “the purpose of Lent is to confront us with ourselves in a way that’s conscious and purposeful, that enables us to deal with the rest of life well” (Thomas Moore), then it is reasonable to suppose that wisdom will be needed to achieve this outcome.
So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.
2 Corinthians 12:10 TPT
To wander is to walk leisurely or to move aimlessly. I wonder what thoughts or images come to your mind when you consider the word. Thoughts or eyes wandering instead of focusing on the task in hand? A wandering minstrel? Or in a Biblical context, the Israelites wandering around for 40 years before they finally reached the Promised Land?
Once again we find ourselves in the season of Lent. The 40 days which lead us from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day.
“As the best way to appreciate a sunrise is to be there in the darkness before dawn, so the only way to appreciate Easter is to have come to it through Lent…” Revd. Canon J John
I am so grateful to have been brought up in a Christian home where reading the Bible was encouraged and where I was nurtured in my faith. I have a love for God’s Word which is grounded in my Christian upbringing.
I have had the joy of leading a Prayer Shawl Workshop at Penhurst Retreat Centre and there are more booked for this year. It was a special time with a small group of ladies as we fellowshipped, shared life experiences and crocheted together.
I really need a good night’s sleep in order to function properly during the day. I’ve read up on what to do practically to help with sleep such as having a good bedtime routine, turning off devices an hour before bedtime, a light snack etc, but as I was reading from the book of Psalms this week, I realised that one Psalm gave some really good advice on getting a good night’s sleep. Psalm 4 is known as an Evening Psalm.
Today, I want us to look at Psalm 5 which is known as a Morning Psalm and what it can teach us about seeking God at the start of the day.
