God is Our Refuge

God is Our Refuge
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

It is only the third day of Lent and already I must decide what this discipline means to me. Up early, traveling across country. A day with friends. Up late, prepping for class next week. Does it matter if I stay faithful? Does it really matter if I post a picture each day? It seems in this journey of life there are various stages when we are most vulnerable to temptation. And the beginnings are often the most difficult. Jesus himself, when called to ministry, immediately is sent into the wilderness to face temptation. Satan doesn't tempt him with lies. He tempts him with the truth, the very words of Scripture. "Jump off this cliff. God promises to rescue you!" I could come up with a dozen scripture verses that would justify stopping these devotions right now, but I choose, at least this night, to go on. We are vulnerable whenever we begin a new discipline, because it has not yet become a habit. It has not become ingrained in our body and mind. It requires daily compulsion. A daily act of the will. And that is part of the purpose of Lent. To develop spiritual practices that will become ingrained in our being. To move our faith from our mind deep into
our heart, written there by the Spirit.

The picture above resembles a cross, but in reality it is the mast of a ship. Perhaps developing spiritual practices allows us to put down our oars and hoist a sail... a sail that allows the breath of the Holy Spirit to propel us effortless across the sea.