Today is Ash Wednesday in the Liturgical Calendar, signifying the beginning of the Lenten season. For most of us, this means we begrudgingly abstain from chocolate or Facebook for 40 days then binge on Easter Sunday.
Yes, that sounds right.
But what if we were bolder than that? This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot recently. What if our Lent was more than just not doing something- what if we use Lent to actually DO something?
Something that has been on my heart the past few months is how closed off I have been regarding my faith lately. For the past year or so, my faith has been contained to Sunday mornings (when I can make it), and whenever I have a chance to sit down and read something before work. But God, in true Godly fashion, will not be contained by my little box. He is not content with the convenient time blocks I have given him. And He is ready to burst out, taking me with Him. [How fitting that this all culminates at the beginning of Lent. Or something.]
I’m absolutely terrified about what will happen in my life over the next 40 days. If I am completely honest, I’d rather keep on trucking my way and not have anything change. But God won’t let me do that. He is ready to burst from my heart and be shared with the world. And so here I am, restarting a blog I have all but forgotten about. Not that my specific words are going to make any difference, but they can’t stay in my head anymore- God demands that they be shared, for one reason or another.
Anyway, all this to say that my Lenten promise is to live boldly and to stop denying my faith in my everyday actions. And because I am a writer at heart, one of the ways I will be living out the promise is writing in a blog that is open for people to read. I don’t have a theme in mind other than I’ll be writing about my journey of living openly in and with my faith. So…here goes nothing.
Moses’ words in this passage sums up my current feelings/doubts, and the Lord’s response is what (I hope) the Lord is saying to me in this time:
“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’”