Looking Down Gracefully

Today we mark the first Sunday in Lent.

In Lent, we take on a position of humbleness, of self-examination, of quiet submission. If we were to take that emotional and spiritual action, and make it physical, we would stand there with our head bowed, with our eyes lowered; looking at our feet. If we watch our feet, we will see where we walk. If we don’t look at our feet, we focus on our destination, not on the way we are getting there. We might not see the stones and broken glass, the dangers and obstacles in our way, and we might not see the cool soft grass, or feel it between our toes, those wonderful moments of grace that God provides for us.

The Psalm from the readings in church this morning (Psalm 25:1-10) remind us that we need to look at our feet. Teach me your ways O Lord, guide me in your paths. I know I’ve stumbled, I know I’ve taken missteps. I’ve stepped off the path from time to time; sometimes I’ve stepped into “it” big time. Remember your mercy; remember how you have loved your people from the beginning. Help me to walk in your ways; I know I cannot do it alone. I cannot just walk without paying attention. Forgive me, lead me and teach me your ways.

Lent is a wake-up call from God. It’s a time when we become aware of our need to look down, to see where and how we are walking. We lower our eyes, we bow our heads, we look at our feet. How are we walking? Are we following the path of God as closely as we would like, as closely as God would like? Are we going our own way? What pulls us off the path? What distracts us, and causes us to wander? Is God calling you back, asking you to pause and look, see how you may have strayed and wandered, how your feet have slipped from the way?

Lent is a gift from God. It’s the space we need to see how we might walk better. It’s God calling us to see how we might be able to walk in closer step with Him, and it’s our response, our prayer that we might have a closer walk with Him. That we would walk with him through these 40 days of Lent to that glorious Easter morning; that we would walk with him through the days of our life to that glorious day when we are received into our eternal home. Pause, look down.....