Return To The Lord
Even now, says the Lord,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the Lord, your God. (Jl 2:12-13a)
God is not impressed with outward appearances.
He is so unlike us.
We tend to be swayed — sometimes quite easily — by outward appearances.
If someone comes up to us dressed elegantly and someone else comes up to us dressed like a bum, you know who is going to get the attention. The elegant person will receive most everyone’s undivided attention. The bum? That person will get shooed away. We would rather not look at that person.
So many people cannot visit even family or friends in hospitals or nursing homes. The outward appearances of sickness or impending death frighten so many and they shy away from the experience.
God is not impressed with outward appearances.
There, I’ve said it again.
He is just not impressed.
When He looks at us, His glance cuts right through the outward and He gazes directly into our souls.
Do we want to impress God this Lenten season?
If we do, we have to forget about the externals and we have to look deep within ourselves and change that which is deep within us that prevents us from having as close a relationship with our God as possible.
Many people are going to go through the season of Lent by giving things up or by adding positive things to do each day. Those are all well and good. However, the reason for us doing those things must be so that we can change our inner selves.
God is looking deep within.
What does He see?
FAITH ACTION: The season of Lent calls us to change our lives not from the outside; but, from within. Embrace the season for all that it is worth.
Remember, Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence.