The processing on my hair will take 45 minutes and the processing of my life's journey and purpose is truly eternal.
I got an email from Susan suggesting we blog together for the next 40 days and I am definitely interested. Interested in what will transpire. In how God is working in my life still. The processing is never never over.
I began this day with the scriptures in the daily lectionary. Most are very familiar: create in me a new heart" and pray in private, etc. what struck me this morning was this verse from Isaiah:
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday
There is a yoke that i am so used to that I don't even recognize it at times: the yoke of judgment, evaluation, criticism. Pointing fingers" it causes so much heaviness between people, it sullied my soul, it leads to depression and inner and outer conflict.
As I read these texts today, I was struck by the descriptions of God in Joel:
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing
So maybe as I begin Lent , as I tonight receive the ashes on my forehead, my first practice might be to remove the yolk of finger pointing and receive and try to model the grace, mercy, and steadfast love of God.
That might be a very good first step
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