Every now and then during the Lenten season, we fail. We fall off the bus. We forget. We do not follow through on the promises we made to God and ourselves to reflect, sacrifice, and fully participate in the Lenten disciplines that we have taken on. Last week, the “we” became “me.” I allowed myself to be distracted and exhausted by the to-do lists of life and I did not follow through on my promise to pause each day to reflect on the gifts of God in my life. And yet, there is good news. Today is SUNDAY!
Sundays during Lent are like mini-Easters. They are an invitation – not to take a break from the promises we’ve made – but rather, to begin again. We get to reset and renew our Lenten disciplines. THANKS BE TO GOD! Thanks be to God that in life Christ invites us to jump up, dust off, and begin again.
Today, I got to spend the afternoon with my sister. She is one of the #loves of my life and she reminds me to be human. She reminds me that it doesn’t matter how many times that I’m “reverend,” “pastor,” “preacher,” “fix-it lady,” or “super girl” – at the end of the day – I’m just Jasmine. Just a human being trying to #live this with-God life in a way that glorifies God. Today, we #celebrated sisterhood, friendship, the gift of life-giving food, and the joy of our human, real, imperfect life together.
Thanks be to God!
Jasmine Rose Smothers 