Lenten fierce

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him,
and he will bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:5

I wake to the sound of ferocious wind summoning me out of sleep, demanding my immediate and complete attention. It is not the calm morning I had anticipated, and I find the sense of urgency difficult to set aside so I can settle into prayer.

Last night, in the darkened church, we knelt together and set our hearts toward penitence, asking God to accept our repentance. I saw the cracks in my life: the broken places in need of healing, failings in need of repair, the places I have come up short. And I also saw the way forward, that the Holy One asks me to turn and return, and that when I set my feet on the path of reconciliation, I am not alone. There will be help and companions along the way.

One step into the Lenten journey and I know this will be a wild one. The Spirit is cleansing fierce. It will not let me slumber, it will demand my all.