I do believe the reason why I have not made any lenten commitments within the past two years that I’ve been a member of my Lutheran church is that I make commitments and adjustments throughout the year. However seeing my members of my church family post what they were doing on Facebook got me into the spirit (I guess) and I came up with a few ideas of my own. The physical I already mentioned in a prior post and spiritually, I’m making a concerted effort to expand my time of prayer and being thankful in all things. This is something that isn’t going to end when the lenten season is over, but it will continually be something I incorporate from now on.
17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Being thankful has been on my mind a lot. I guess I’m thinking about it more because of all the unexpected things that have happened this winter; the unexpected loss of my honeybees, the delay in the planting season, the massive dent in our woodpile because of the cold weather which meant cutting down more trees, sawing them into appropriate lengths and stacking them onto one of our woodpiles, the car heater that stopped working when it was below 0. I could go on but you get the idea… yes I guess I could have a lot of things to complain about but I’m not. Even with all the unexpected surprises that life has tossed my way there is still so much to be thankful for!
The amount of weather related grumbling I’ve been hearing in real life and online, it really drives the point home and it now makes me realize how I must have looked (years ago) to one of my older spiritual mentors on the occasion when I’d feel sorry for myself. She’d patiently listen to my tale of woe, give me some advice and at the end gently remind me to be thankful in all things. While part of me wanted to tell her she did not know what she was talking about, I did not dare to do so. For one thing, I was taught to treat others with respect and deep down I knew what she said was right. Reflecting back to our conversations so many years ago, I do think she’d be thrilled that I’ve pulled myself out of the whining pit and now see things differently. Being thankful (even when I did not think I should have any reason to be happy) has opened my eyes (and mind) to unexpected blessings and I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful spiritual mentor that through her example and prayers I’m sure made me look at certain aspects of my life differently.
My lenten resolve…
Today I had some mild cravings for some pasta. No not the raw veggie pasta that I’ve been making, but that traditional cooked pasta. Since I’m adamant about standing firm with my lenten commitment I made some raw pasta instead. Besides, eating traditional pasta would not have been a good idea with my candida issues. Tomorrow, I’ll have to post what I made, once my Nikon D80s battery has charged. Oh, and I’ll be sure to post the scrumptious desert I made using frozen fruit!
Hiya! I’ll be commenting throughout the day on your blog! Trying to catch up on posting on my own as well as visiting and commenting on my faves! I’m a fan of Raw Pasta. I will be trying some others in addition to the good ole Zuke Version. I have tried Carrots for a Slaw of sorts and I would like to do some others in the form of raw pastas very soon! Squashes are always great…trying to get even more creative, tho! Looking forward to your other posts!
Jennifer recently posted..What’s Growing In My Kitchen & Produce Nook