March 9, 2022

Beloved in Christ:

We enter into the second week of Lent today. I wonder if you have found a good rhythm for a Lenten discipline, or are still wondering how to connect your spiritual and daily life with God this season?  A friend of mine has inspired me with her own Lenten discipline choice this year.  It might sound counterintuitive to the ways in which we consider Lenten disciplines, but she is taking on the discipline of Joy. She has decided to think about joy, practice joy, and look for a sign of joy every day.  This idea has really captured my imagination and so I wanted to share it with you.  I’ve tried to incorporate this into my daily prayers and have already begun to notice that I am noticing the small details of the day that I probably would overlook normally. For example, earlier this week I was feeling pretty grumpy about how cold it has been. I am sick of cold weather I confess. But late in the afternoon one day, because the sun is setting later, and because I was on a high spot looking over Rochester, I was able to see how the setting sun was touching the tops of the billowing clouds to the southwest with light pink and lavender.  I raised my head to see the big sky as I was getting my dog into the car and setting off into traffic, when an inner voice urged me to look up, and there was this delicate beauty in the sky.  I breathed a little easier, I stopped to see. Joy.

There is plenty to be worried about these days; plenty of sorrow and anxiety. To look for joy might feel more like a discipline than we realize, but in doing so, we are given immediate and close reminders that God is in the world with us, always present, always reaching to us in love and reminder of glory.

Grateful for joy, grateful for you,

Beth+