Day of Lint

That's right, my prayer tonight is about lint or at least what it represents in our lives! As you may know, today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian season of Lent.

I like this definition of Lent from Faith United Methodist Church:

Lent is a season where we may follow the example of Christ to quiet ourselves before God, spend time in prayer, and to free up some of the "cluttered" time in our life to allow more time for our relationship with God. 

Okay, Jasmine! But, what does Lent have to do with lint? Pastor Patti delivered a vivid analogy this evening capturing the connection perfectly. First, we must admit and accept, we are sinners. There's no sugar coating this; we are! This prayer is not intended to focus on our imperfections, but rather to be realistic that humans are imperfect. However, through God's grace and taking on the sins of the world through His Son, we are forgiven.

With this forgiveness, comes responsibility to work toward removing elements from our lives impairing us from fulfilling God's great plan!

So, back to the lint. Dryers are designed to "trap" lint before it reaches the motor, which could diminish the dryer's functioning, or worse, cause fires. However, in order to gain the benefits of the traps, they must be cleared of buildup. The buildup reduces air circulation, causing the motor to overheat, increasing drying time, and increasing energy costs.

Similarly, we need to clear out the "lint traps" of our lives. Without this cleansing, the buildup consumes us, not letting the Spirit proper access to us. When we "block" the Spirit's access, the "lint" can overwhelm us and potentially pull us away from God.

During Lent, many Christians give up or (or take on) something during the 40-day season. Through sacrifice, we learn to resist temptation. Through prayer, we redirect our attention from our selfish, distracted lives and focus our attention toward God. Through repentance, we admit our sins, ask for God's forgiveness, and experience God's great gift of grace.

Day 64: Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. I wish I could say today I did not sin; but, I know I did. For this, I ask your forgiveness. Thank you for working through your pastoral servant to deliver a profound explanation for Lent for which we can relate clearly.

Lord, I have made efforts in years past to participate actively in the sacrifice, penance, and reflection of this season. However, these efforts predominately involved giving up Starbucks. As you know, I love coffee. But, I've realized, not drinking my favorite coffee for a few weeks really hasn't changed me. I've been focused the last few months on embracing fully your two greatest commandments...loving you and loving others. As I thought about something that may fundamentally transform me, I realized paying it forward may express God's love in ways I can't imagine.

Father God, thank you for the clarity needed this morning to embark on a 40-day journey of paying it forward. It may not seem like much, but each time someone has bought my coffee in the morning, the kindness has literally altered positively my outlook for the entire day. If I can brighten the days of 40 people, could daily outlooks transform exponentially? Omgoodness, the potential of one small gesture of your love and generosity extended to someone could affect hundreds. I pray to be a part of such an impact.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you daily. Thank you for sharing Christ's experience in the desert which encourages me to focus specifically on the temptations and distractions keeping me from you. Thank you for your mercy and grace!

I love you.