Beginnings

"... I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline."  2 Timothy 1:6-7

I'm going to begin again keeping a weekly blog of my reflections on faith and life.  I miss this way of connecting with other people of faith, I miss the discipline of pulling together my reflections from the week, but, most importantly, I feel strongly compelled to share God's messages to me.  God's steadfast love and care so amazes me that it seems selfish to not share it with other people.  I think, What if by sharing God's messages to me, someone else comes to believe that God does indeed care for each one of us in such a mind-boggling way?  So, that is the purpose of this blog:  to share my thoughts, concerns, and prayers, and to share the insights that come from being open to God's Holy Spirit.

We each can begin to follow God's will with ever greater intention at any time, of course, but the beginning of Lent is an especially good time to start.  During Jesus' entire ministry, he describes God's will in many different ways.  Essentially, we are to love God with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength, and we are to love each other as God loves us.  This is God's will for each and every one of us at all times.   It takes continual effort to get close to this ideal.  However, the Christian season of Lent marks the beginning of Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, during which he begins to tell his disciples about God's will for his life in particular.  Though his disciples don't really understand, Jesus knows This is the fulfillment of God's purpose for him.

God has a particular purpose for each one of us, as well.  Along our journey of faith, we hopefully find out what that is.  We wonder what makes us the way we are.  Why have I, or you, been given these particular gifts?  Why do I, or you, have this overwhelming passion?  And, what unique experiences has God given us that can serve to help others?  Once we understand all this, we need only put two-and-two together, so to speak.  We eventually do understand our purpose.  In theory, we have a choice to accept our purpose or not.  But, in reality, we don't have a choice:  our love for God determines our choice.  So, whether anyone else understands, we accept God's will, come what may.

Dear God, heavenly Father, please be with me as I try to follow your will for me in this, as in all things.  Love always, Pam