March 1, 2020

Life can easily spin us out of control. While there are so many wonderful opportunities before us, we can also get easily distracted and exhausted. There is always something to do, respond to, or check. The clutter of our lives can take us off course, and the best remedy for getting back on track is the experience of the desert. Here we can face our demons square on, resist them, and get back on course. We desperately need the season of Lent. This simple time of year forces us into greater awareness and grounds us in what is good and true.

What weighs you down and keeps you trapped? Maybe you are trying to do too much and please too many people. It could be that your fragile self-image is always pushing you to prove yourself and find success. Anxiety and worry, ultimately due to a lack of faith, can quickly tempt you with despair. It could be that you are listening to too many voices and allowing all of the negativity that is present erode the genuine goodness in your heart and in all of God’s creation. Or maybe you struggle too much with fear. Perhaps so much so that you are far too preoccupied with your own agenda and goals and left with little psychological or spiritual room to consider and respond to the plight of your neighbor. Do anger, bitterness, stubborn-ness, and hatred have homes in your heart? How about greed, gluttony, pride, apathy, or lust?

For many, their passions and what can be found on the internet are their downfall, and they are robbed of their inner life and freedom. What is it, specifically, that tempts you away from a childlike trust in God? Define this and use the next few weeks to allow God to chart you a course away from them. Silence, being alone, grace, honesty, struggle, tears, and dry-ness are all found in the desert. You will also find God and your true self in this holy place. Ready to go? ©LPi