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Faith, Modern Perspectives, Young Married Mom

April 18, 2011

Holy Week: Monday

This year, I have experienced Lent in a whole new way.  Having a child changes everything, they say, and faith is not the least of these.

Whether it’s because I spend more time at home, or because my day-to-day is challenging in a different way than it ever has been before, I’ve found my resolutions much more difficult to keep this year.  My main sacrifices were sweets and The Biggest Loser, but in general I’ve tried to keep away from excess where I can and spend my time more productively each day.  When I find myself wanting to turn to an extra snack for some more energy or a television show to unwind, I’ve tried to point my mind and my heart toward prayer instead.  While it hasn’t been a constant comfort, I have experienced God’s grace in a real way this season, and I am anxiously anticipating Easter to start the celebration of it.

But before we get there, we must journey through Holy Week.  This week, I’ll be posting a series of meditations that I’ve found apply to the intersection of Lenten prayer and motherhood.  I think they are all applicable even to those who are not mothers, and I hope they’ll offer something new to think about during this final push of the season.

Here’s the first, for Monday of Holy Week:

“ . . . [W]e can still place our trust in God if we have prayed to Him earnestly and are sincerely trying to follow His Will.  He cannot ask that we do better than our best. He knows our faults better than we do, yet He still entrusted the souls of our children into our care.”
Your Vocation of Love by Agnes Penny, p. 153

No matter what our positions are in life, God has put us there for a reason:  because we have something to offer.  Whether that task is a job in an office, a volunteer position serving food, or the vocation of motherhood, God wants to use us to accomplish something.  It is of little import whether we feel capable of what we’ve been asked to do—even if that something is having faith in Him.

What matters is that we trust in God, that we pray, and that we believe in God’s promise to hear our prayers. I’ve been surprised this year by how often I’ve heard it preached that this is a season of joy.  Indeed, Lent is not about punishment for sins, but rather about renewing trust in God’s forgiveness, mercy, and love.

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