Lent: Edwina Gately -Connecting with God

Lent is not so much about sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice. Our sacrifices are not intended to prove our worthiness to a God who already knows our hearts. We sacrifice only to remove the obstacles that keep us from connecting with our Creator.

Our culture teaches us to think of God as a judging father. But in my times of prayer I have come to know  our Creator both as a tender father AND a loving mother ( Isaiah 49:15).

I want to share an excerpt from the poem Presence, written by poet and essayist Edwina Gately.

God is present

in the wood stove and the oil lamp,

in the gathering shadows

and the silent stars.

If she does not seem present 

in my heart and soul -

it is because I have limited God too much.

Perhaps I should listen more intently

to the wood cackling,

and watch more closely,

the oil wick flicker,

to allow God's presence

to envelop me.