40 days of Lent - Faith a memory

Today's Lenten Message

March 13 -  Faith is memory before it's hope.

Remember how you've made it through hard times.  You can trust that you'll make it through again.

That was actually a very deep thought - faith is memory before it's hope.   I had to ponder it a bit.  But what we are saying here is we made it before, through prayer and belief that God is listening and we use that memory to help us make it through again.

How true that is for me.  When I need to do something scary or something that makes me nervous, whether it's singing or talking in front of a crowd in church or a test in the hospital I usually pray something like -  God you helped before can you please help me again. 

From the scriptures - Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

I would like to memorize "faith is memory before it's hope"  but I know my memory - so I think I need to write this one down and keep.  I think it's a special thought.

40 Days of Lent - Why worry?

Today's Lenten thought:

March 2  -  In the spirit of Easter, think of three old things your are going to stop worrying about and three new things you're going to look forward to instead.

hmmmmm

The three things that I am going to stop worrying about, I won't share.  That way if someone would ask me, "hey did you stop worrying about......" I might start worrying about it again.  LOL Actually I feel they are kind of private, so I will keep them that way. 


But I will share the three things I am looking forward to.

1)  Spring - it can't come soon enough.
2)  A trip to the shore - my favorite place.  Anywhere were land meets the sea.
3)  Reading the books in my book pile - especially the next three

Maybe these are not three big things, but I look forward to each of them.

My favorite scripture about worry is as follows:

Matthew 6:25-27  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

One time I was so worried about money that while I was driving to work  I was thinking, what if I don't have enough money for food.  Suddenly a pancake fell from the sky just missing the hood of my car. (True story! At first I thought, manna from heaven?) Then I saw a crow swoop down, pick it up, and carried it away.  There were so many nearby restaurants I figured he must of got it out of the trash somewhere and that's when I remembered this scripture.  Certainly if God could  provide pancakes to crows then I should not be worried where my next meal would be coming from.  I remember this story every time I worry too much.

So make you lists and throw out the worries and look forward to something exciting.

40 days in Lent - Remembering

I avoided writing this all day - because today's Lenten thought is

February 24 - Remember someone you have loved and lost.  Sadness and grief have their place in Lent.  The pain of loss is the cost of loving well.  Risk it.

I wasn't sure where to take this Lenten thought, but what immediately came to mind are the friends I have lost over the years, those friends who have departed this life to the next.

Those are the ones that leave a hole in my heart.  The friends that I loved and miss dearly.  The first that came to mind was Missy, we lost her way to soon to cancer, along time ago. She left behind 2 young daughters and it was probably the first death of a friend that I had to experienced.

Some other ladies I have lost were Evelyn, Ginny and Miriam.  All ladies I have learned from over the years, all ladies that held a special place in my heart.  Thinking of them brings tears to my eyes, but I know they are in a great place, waiting for me to get there someday.

If you choose to remember a relationship that was more of the man/woman love relationship feel free to do so.    I have had my share of that kind of love and lost, but time heals all wounds.

For those who have gone on before me, this day I remember you.  They are so many more that I will include in my prayers tonight, they are gone but not forgotten.  They live here, right here,  in my heart.