A Reflection On Looking Ahead

(To listen to this story, click on the photo above.)

Who we are

The darkest days of winter are now behind us, but the sunlit days of spring and the recuperative warmth they bring are still many cold weeks away. We need to face facts. It's winter folks. We're stuck. It's all part of God's grand plan. For everything there is a season, and a season for everything. This is the season for reflection. It's a good time to take stock of our spiritual lives.

Every day, week, month and year brings with it new challenges, new joys, new sorrows. Every life event we face changes us. This is sort of the pre-game time to sit quietly in the locker room of life and mentally prepare for the Lenten journey ahead.

The journey

There's an old saying, "Belief is the acceptance of a map. Faith is taking the journey." Let's face it. Belief is easy. We believe in a lot of things. We believe in doing the right thing. We believe in justice for all. We believe in God. We can profess belief in anything we want while staying safe at home in the process.

Faith is a different story. Faith means stepping out of our comfort zone and taking on life's challenges. We demonstrate our faith through action.

It's easy to say we believe bullying is wrong. We demonstrate our faith by taking a stand against bullies. We believe in social justice. We show our faith by giving our time to help those in need.

The comforting part is that God is our traveling companion. He lights our way and steadies us on rocky ground.

Lent begins today. It’s time to examine where we are on life's journey. It’s time to look back and reflect. And most importantly, it’s time to move forward and take action – action that demonstrates our faith. 

Prayer is action. Pray for God's help to light the way. Service is action. We all have unrequited good intentions. Now’s the time. Reach out. Take steps. Take action. We know what to do. Now we simply need to do it.

The snow is melting and Lent, another faith journey, has arrived.

###

If you enjoyed this installment of The Married Guy’s Guide to Life, please like, follow or subscribe. Thanks!