Lent: Red Birds and Wildflowers

With its branches reaching up to my 5th floor apartment window, an old tree rests. This morning a red bird sat on one of the high branches in my eyesight.

While this may seem normal and forgettable to you, red birds remind me of my grandma. She loved red birds; they were all over her house. Not real one’s of course (she wasn’t Cinderella) but she had red bird plates, red bird pictures, red bird dust collectors, red bird beanie babies. Now, don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t obsessed but she had at least one red bird in each room. After she passed away, my aunt packed up her house, sold many items, and distributed her red birds to each of the family members. I still have my red bird, perched near a picture of my grandma and I the last time I saw her.

We all have relics. We all have little reminders that take us straight back to the past, something that moves our eyes to the rearview mirror. It’s not everyday, but many days when something or someone, a phrase or even a scent that reminds us of good days, of people, of happiness or even sadness.

Today I’m reminded of roots. I’m reminded to take things slowly, to appreciate the little gifts of reminders that God gives me. Today it was a red bird in a tree who sat for a few minutes and then flew off to dance with the wind.

But today, I’m also reminded of wildflowers.

Today as I continue my Lenten discipline (reading a devotional, connecting with scripture, and drawing) I landed on James 1. Here’s what stood out to me today:

“Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. you know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the prosperous life. At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing. Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyalty in love with God, the rewards is life and more life.” -James 1 (Message Version)

Here’s my picture that I drew today based on this reading:

I drew myself watering the wildflower for a few reasons. James is using a wildflower to represent prosperity. Our own selfish prosperity will fade, and the only thing worthy of working towards is the prosperity of serving God and his will. I am watering this flower not of my own prosperity but out of service to God. It’s quite obvious that our church is going through a time of redirecting prosperity from an inward perspective to an outward, service oriented true love of God prosperity. I’ve seen us grow in many ways, and while some things have withered and fallen, we, as God’s people, can water the flower in hopes that He can redeem it and bring new life.

It’s the second part of that passage that reminds me that if we truly face the challenges head-on, with a selfless purpose, God can be honored and we will receive life...and more life (eternal life).

Today, may you look to the prosperity of God, face challenges head-on, and see those tiny little relics as reminders of the goodness of our Lord.

Lent...so far.

I woke up to hear the news of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. We won’t know the full damage of this natural disaster for some time, but it’s obvious this one is big. It’s hard to imagine what the Japanese people are feeling right now. I’m sure fear and sadness top the list. Their put-together planned lives are suddenly uprooted. Uncertainty replaces a sense of control and order.

After seeing the news I went into my prayer room to continue my Lent Discipline (see below for details). I opened my “What’s Next God?” Lent devotional, and today’s reading is about... earthquakes.

Yikes. Really.

The devotional asks us to answer the question “What has shaken your world recently both literally and figuratively?”

If we’re being really honest, each of us can come up with a few things that have shaken our worlds. Whether small or big, they are our own life-shaking earthquakes that split our plans in two, leaving a giant gap in the middle for us to forge through. Whether a relationship split, a recent death in the family, job loss, or change in health, change can be scary. It can feel like the earth below you that was once sturdy and safe become shaken and torn apart. And those are just the big earthquakes. After the dust has settled, aftershocks of smaller magnitude can leave us just as frazzled and fearful.

How do we do this journey of life without bracing ourselves at every turn? How do we really rely on God to “rescue us from the earthquakes” (Psalm 60:5)? And what does rescue look like? I think rescue comes when we let go. We’ve all heard that phrase but what does it really mean? How do we let go without losing perspective or being charged with lack of responsibility? Letting go means we sacrifice something, mostly our control, our plans, our way of getting out of the rubble.

Lent = letting go.

I think Lent is about that letting go. It’s about the process of being rescued so that we may take others on the same journey. I think Lent is about the journey. A journey back to remembering Jesus and his sacrifice. A journey back to putting God at the center of our lives that we’ve spent the last year planning and putting order to. Lent is a time to allow the cracks and earthquakes in and to let God shake things up in our lives, so that He can put them back together in a way that fits.

We’ve tried so hard to fill in the cracks, to rebuild something that only God can do. It’s only fitting that today that while we pray for Japan we also pray that God will come and enter into our lives and rescue us from the earthquakes within.

May we let go so that God can come and do the rescuing.

**Lent Discipline:

For Lent I have given up time doing meaningless things and adding time with God. I’m spending time in my new prayer room. I just moved into my new apartment and I have a spare bedroom. I have set up several stations... and one of them is my desk with 48 Sharpies (yes, I’m a Sharpie Princess). Anyway, my discipline begins by reading a devotional that our AYhigh students are reading. It’s called “What’s Next, God?” (you can pick up a copy at the church for free!) I read and then I open my Bible to the scripture passages that the devotional references. After I read, I draw. Here are my first three drawings, one for each day of Lent so far. Don’t make fun of my poor art skills, however. I’m going to blog about my drawings soon, but I’m waiting to see what else comes up.

And because I love music...

My Lent Soundtrack: (so far)

“O Great Love” by Robbie Seay Band

“Shadows” by David Crowder Band

“Love is Here” by Tenth Avenue North

“Banner of Love” by Luminate

“Manifesto” by The City Harmonic

“Sometimes” by David Crowder Band

“All Things” by Aaron Gillespie

“Land or Sea” by Sleeping at Last