Monday, March 29, 2021

Lenten Devotional Monday March 29, 2021


Pausing to Listen

by Jan Kwiatkowski



On the way to the pool after one of those brief summer thunderstorms, my grandson asked, “Nana, can you hear the puddles splash?” While I’d heard the sound of splashing puddles many times, when my grandchild asked me to listen, I stopped and truly listened. And you know what? Puddles actually do splash. In my eagerness to get to the “good stuff” of pool-time, had I not paused to listen to a little voice, I’d have missed a wonderful moment. In his reflection yesterday, Craig Phillips wrote about the gifts of peace and joy we receive when we take the time to pause and listen.

 

 Most of us have walked the days of Holy Week many times before and we know how the story of the week unfolds. Yet, in our culture’s eagerness to get to the “good stuff” of Easter, I wonder if we might be missing what is being declared to us in the moments of each day of Holy Week?

 

As we journey through this week, we are, once again, invited to pause and listen for any new things God might be declaring to us. Just as Craig’s backyard invited him to hear what was going on around him, and my grandson invited me to hear a new thing in splashing puddles, perhaps paying closer attention and listening to what we are experiencing in the present moment will allow us to notice what God is doing in our lives, this day, this week, and this Easter.

 

Making It Personal:

Have you ever found yourself wanting to hurry through the discomfort of Holy Week for the “good stuff” of Easter?

 If yes, how might that get in the way of you hearing the things God is saying to you during this week?

What is one thing you can do, or let go of, today in order to pause and listen?

 

 

Living Well Through Lent 2021

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