Monday in the First Week of Lent
Rise up, and help us,
and save us, for the sake of
your steadfast love.
Psalm 44:26
The longer day and the warmer sun make my afternoon walk pleasant. I am grateful for my neighbors who have been diligent about clearing sidewalks even as the snow is piled higher than anyone can recall in recent times. There are still a few corner hillsides to navigate as the plows often undo the work of the shovelers, reburying paths that were once clear.
Although I am gratefully aware of companions who walk the Lenten way with me, I mostly think of this journey as a solitary endeavor. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus went alone on their forty day fasts in the wilderness, and so the tradition of solitude and dependance on holy succor is deeply imbedded.
Yet as I walk between the snowbanks, I think that perhaps we also clear the way for one another during this season. Without specific recognition, without doing it for anyone in particular, our own way through the wilderness, our repeated reliance on God, creates a pathway that remains, allowing others to perceive the trace. And perhaps I am unconsciously guided by the shimmer of others who are just ahead of me, wending their own perilous and hopeful way, counting on the steadfast love of God.
Image by kinkate from Pixabay
