The Grace of Lent 2016

Hi friends!!!
Happy Easter! 

I pray that the end of lent was a gift to you as it was to me.

Lent 2016 was a challenge physically mentally and spiritually. God never left me but He allowed me to be challenged and tried. He allowed me to trust Him even when things seemed tough and He gave me gifts of renewed faith. You see friends when God leads your through the valley its not that he is forsaking you, he is right there with you. He is letting you continue to grow and decide if you choose Him. I choose Him even in the valley. I choose Him even in Lent. I choose Him even when it is far from easy.

While I will not go much in to details on the challenges at this point I want to reflect on the blessings.
God has shown me that life is not about me. I knew this but He has grown my understanding of what He wants from me and how He wants me to serve. He has helped me to see that it is all for His glory and purpose. As I reflect back on some of the past times in my life he has always guided me through and in this Lent I had the hope of Easter coming. I knew that the valley would not last. You see all things come to an end and if you keep your life in light of that you know even the trials will pass. They may not resolve in the way you hope but time does bring healing and new blessings and it all works together according to His purpose.

As each challenge occurred it became almost a humor for my husband and I to say "well it is lent." Big things, small things it did not matter for we knew that the dawn of hope was coming. So we trusted, and we praised Him in the storms. We did our bests to embrace this penitential season, thanked God for struggles He brought as we knew He would give the strength to get through them.

My lenten attempts at joining my diet challenges to prayer and stepping away from facebook did so much good for me and yet brought their own challenges. In many ways the autoimmune protocol helped me and I was overjoyed to start reintroduction but also I struggled to meet the full requirements in incorporating organs and broth into my life. AIP is labor intensive and I learned diligence. I also learned about myself and gained some information as to what is best for my body. How often not just in food but in the spiritual life  also do I pick the easy thing to meet the need but not what is needed to nourish.

I found a peace as I let my eyes and mind fast from facebook. Oh how much quieter and still. How much more time for prayer. Also how much I find I rely on facebook to be educated on the news and information about the world. I found myself truly searching reliable sources and I spent the time I would use reading facebook to read articles. I also found my heart steadied. I think facebook can be a great tool but also a great vice.

I learned a lot in my relationships. I found that if you take away communication via facebook you learn who really cares and who really wants to make an effort to know you. Not to say everyone who didn't talk to me through lent doesn't care- don't get me wrong I use facebook to communicate and keep in the loop as well. It just helped me remember to keep it personal and be intentional.  I know what a blessing that was to me when people did this and it reminded me to do this for others.

I also learned about boundaries and the importance of having them in my life. Not only in relationships and in what I post on facebook but also in my time. I have been intentional to spend my time in a worthy way and found I have gotten a lot more accomplished.

As I have grown in diligence I have attempted to do a little each day on the things I hope to do. I have great plans for a clean and organized home, multiple quilts I hope to make, reading I hope to be done and lots of time with my husband. I have tried to do just a little of each with the time I have and I feel much more productive. I also have been trying to become more efficient and yet thorough in my work. Setting goals for myself to be better has helped me to get more done but also helped me to see ways I can improve.

As we attended mass on Holy Thursday I saw the service of Christ in all He did in his ministry and I know He is calling me to serve. As I watched the priests lay prostrate before the alter on Good Friday I reflected on how my savior laid down His life and how I am to do the same. As I kissed his wounds on the cross I knew that it was I that wounded Him. He gave me grace in confession and I felt overwhelmed by the love and mercy. Then friends came the joy of easter vigil as the journey had some light: watching the candidates and catechumens that we were able to help catechize join the church was a shower of gifts to my heart. Seeing these people stand up and say Yes to Jesus and His Church is up there on top moments of my life. That God would allow me, a sinner, to help in His mission. Oh what mercy that is. He even blessed Paul and I with two grandchildren that we can join in praying for. We saw others be showered in grace as they embraced the sacraments and truly I could see the hope.  Don't get me wrong all the challenge did not leave with lent, but the reminded of Christ being our hope we learned to embrace the challenge and offer our suffering to our Lord for His glory. Friends even the broken can be used by the one who makes all things new.

So Lent maybe the best thing to happen to me this year even though it was by far the hardest. God has showered grace on my life during this Easter octave and I hope to take all I have learned into the Eastertide season to continue to honor and serve my Lord to the best of my abilities. As we walk through Eastertide I pray that the hope of the resurrected Lord will be with you. That He who raises the dead to life will raise Life in you friend in new ways this season.  I pray He also does this in me.

May the joy of easter warm your heart all year round friends.

God bless you!
Anita