Fourth Sunday of Lent 2023
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
– St. Francis of Assisi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Changing our hearts.
Friend, we’ve come a long way so far. Give yourself some credit.
We’ve sat in silence.
We’ve reflected on who we are.
We’ve confessed and asked for help.
Our relationship with God is restored.
He has the power and the desire to transform hearts.
He promises to give us overwhelming rest and peace.
He came to give us an abundant and full life.
Nothing can separate us from His love.
Now it’s time to recommit our lives,
to recommit to living a life that is
fully dependent on Him in the year to come.
It’s time to rest in those promises and do the work of changing.
Only God can transform our hearts and lives,
but we have to commit to do some work on ourselves.
We have to pay attention to what we’re paying attention to.
He can guide our steps.
He can make us new.
Find a quiet moment this week.
Pray for guidance.
Pray for wisdom.
Pray for will power.
Pray for strength.
Pray for help changing your attitude.
Pray for help changing your bad habits.
Pray for something healthy and Godly to take its place.
And be assured that He can create a clean heart.
He can renew your soul.
I will give you a new heart and a new mind.
I will take away your stubborn heart of stone
and give you a tender, responsive, loving, heart.
– Ezekiel 36:26
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The joy of this moment is that He can and will make beautiful things out of us.
Beautiful Things by Gungor always reminds me of that hope.
Click HERE to listen. Words below:
All this pain.
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way.
I wonder if my life could really change, at all.
All this earth.
Could all that is lost ever be found?
Could a garden come out from this ground, at all?
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of the dust.
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of us.
(repeat)
You make me new, You are making me new.
You make me new, You are making me new.
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of the dust.
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of us.
(repeat)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The photo above is a “in the right place at the right time” photo I took on one of my personal retreats at a nature preserve close to Lake Michigan.
May your Lenten journey continue to bring forth beauty!