Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone! That was the phrase that caught my heart from the Hallmark movie. We have journeyed together through the desert wilderness wanderings of Lent, then our sojourn shifted into the hope of Easter’s dawning. Now we wait. We await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Unleashing the Holy Spirit, that amazing power and creative presence of God which was set free upon the breath of the risen Christ, is a gift of life for each one of us. The choice is before us, just as it was at the beginning of this little book. Will you choose to remain in the safe spaces of your life following the same routines, dancing the same steps with friends and family? Or will you adventure to wild edges of your comfort zone, trusting in God’s choreography for your life? The wonder rises when you choose to dance with God: “Where will that next step of faithful trust led you?”
The Scripture
I don’t always know where, I don’t often know how – but what I do know is that God is trustworthy. God will provide and lead us into the perfect next step of life. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6: 25-34.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Wow, God offers many provisions for our life’s journey. God’s provisions come through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes that comes at the hands of others or through the voices and embrace of others. At other times God may silently whisper to our inner heart, leading us into the next dance step of our faith filled life.
Over the course of these weeks, since the inception of Lent we have been encouraged to stretch the limits of our comfort zone. We have been buoyed up by the Holy Spirit of God. The seasons have shifted from Lent to Eastertide. During the time of this devotional retreat our imagination has been challenged as we have written Love Letters to God with an imaginary response Letter from God to us.
Now we wait. As Easter gives way of Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit, wait and review our portfolio of writing from this time of retreating. As you review your Love Letters, what insights do you glean from God, about yourself, and your relationship with others? How will you waiting be an intentional time of spiritual discipline?
Invitation to Contemplation
After review of your Love Letter portfolio, consider if you would like to continue the discipline of Love Letter writing. If so, you may desire to contemplate what it was like for you to write these Love Letters. What new invitations and discoveries did you make about the character of God and your relationship with God the process of this Lenten journey?
When you are finished with your contemplative pause and pondering, you may close with this prayer of blessing or one of your own crafting.
Holy God, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for your love poured out upon humanity. Thank you for the rising of your Love into our lives. Thank you for your gracious words of life which are contained in my portfolio of Love. May your words form us from the inside of our being to our outward actions so that your love guides us in thought, words, and deeds. Truly you are my Shepherd, Great Physician, and Provider of all that I need, all that we need. Shape our community into your communion of saints this day and each day, as we wait with deep joy for the fullness of Pentecost. Amen.
