Repenting toward Joy

Tuesday in the First Week of Lent

We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God,

in the midst of your temple.

Psalm 48:8

I awake in the early morning from a dream of busyness. It takes me some moments to set aside the impossible tasks I was trying to complete in my sleep and become present to this new day.

A fretful dream is hardly surprising as I spent the hour before sleep last night in work, responding to email, pulling together administrative details, planning ahead. I should know better.

Now it takes a conscious effort to set aside the various details of my life and work vying for my attention, so that I can turn my mind and soul to God. I am reminded that to repent means to turn, and that even in these first moments of waking, I need to practice repenting. I reach for the discipline of my morning prayer routine so that I can place myself intentionally in the presence of God.

This is what disciplines are for, I remind myself. To give us familiar patterns and to build stamina on which we can rely when the cares of the world would lead us astray.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px ‘Times New Roman’}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px ‘Times New Roman’; min-height: 15.0px}

The frenetic pace of the dream slips away as I am wrapped in the joy of my love for Jesus. And my lips open to speak words of gratitude and adoration.

Image Copyright: fotographic1980 / 123RF Stock Photo