A Concord Pastor Comments: Praying 10 Minutes a Day:Fourth Week/Wednesday

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In my part of the world, nature is budding and opening in yards and parks everywhere you go! It's a sure sign of spring and there's no reason to doubt, in fact it never occurs to us, that anything less than beautiful flowers will blossom forth from these folded green forms, tinged with but a hint of yellow beginning to appear.

We trust the signs of spring around us, that give us hope as we leave winter behind. We expect the fulfillment of what is promised. We hope in the beauty that waits, wrapped so tightly, until spring rains and the sun's warmth open and reveal what's hidden within.

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What are the signs of the promise and hope that "bud" in my life?
in my desire for something more than what I have right now?

What small moments of bravery "bud" in my heart
and give me courage to act, to hope, to dream again?

When winter weighs on me, do I look for those buds?
do I hope to find them? do I expect to find them?

Or do I close my eyes to the hope God is growing within me?

Even when I'm wrapped tightly in the folds of my worry,
God waits to open me, to reveal what's within me,
to draw forth more than I could ever dream of...

When I find the buds of hope in my life,
do I trust that God will bring them to blossom
or do I look back over my shoulder to the winter?

When spring stirs in my heart,
do I trust that God is working within me, body and soul,
to bring forth the goodness, the truth, the best of who I am:
I who am made in God's image?

Some flowers and trees move from bud to blossom very quickly:
it need not take a life time...

Lifting my face to the light of God's love
and my life to the moisture of the Lord's anointing,
who knows what might spring to life from within me,
how God might refresh and restore my trust and hope?

Where there are buds there are blossoms waiting,
whether in my yard, in my heart or in my hope...

It is spring time and as surely as nature stirs
in the still-cold earth
so does the Lord stir within me,
calling me to new life...

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I need to find some quiet time and a quiet place to be alone with the Lord...

Be still... and know that God is with you...

I'll take these reflections with me and ask the Lord to help me see within what I see all around me: buds of new life, waiting to unfold...

I'll ask the Lord to help me see these buds and to be open to the gifts they bring...

Where I've kept my eyes closed, I'll ask the Lord to open them that I might see
and find hope again...

Are you new to "Praying 10 Minutes a Day in Lent" - or are you having trouble getting started? The first installment offers some thoughts on getting started, as do the subsequent posts in the series. So take a look and join us!