As we continue our journeys during Lent, we come to closer to understanding the importance of faith in our everyday lives. In the readings on Sunday, we hear about Abraham being put to the test of faith when it comes him to making a grave sacrifice of his son. It isn't until he is at the point of sacrifice that God sends an angel down and rewards Abraham's faithfulness with descents that number the stars. We are all called to have faith in God in the darkest and lowest of times as Abraham did. We are asked to put faith in God no matter the circumstance and because of our faith in Him, we will be rewarded in heaven. The priest likened it to mountains and valleys in our lives. Even when we are in the lowest valley and our faith is faltering, we must continue to have faith that this the path that God has set for us and through that faith we can begin to climb out of the valley and onto the mountain tops, restoring our faith to fullest.
Last week I was listening to the radio and stumbled upon a song that, in my opinion, is a great reminder of the ultimate outcome of Lent. I preface this song analogy by saying that we are all open to different interpretations of songs and I respect your opinions if you don't agree.
The song relays the feeling of regrets piling up and seeing no way to get away from them. The writer then begins to understand that "I am done with my graceless heart, So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart." We use this time of Lent to be done with our own graceless hearts and start anew and wait for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. The writer points that it's always darkest before the dawn. We have to thank God for the fact that we are given a dawn to look forward to and to open our eyes to change and allow ourselves to "Shake it out" and to "shake him (the devil) off!" so that we can again dance in the light of God!
I hope you enjoy the song and comment on your own interpretations of the song!
I like how you used the song lyrics with this posting. Getting a chance to shake it out or cut it out and start anew - I think this is the absolute beauty of Easter!! Christ's sacrifice (and God's) gave us the opportunity to do this. We can either choose to make a change and strive to be better or we can continue to stay in our valleys. The song also states that it's always the darkest before the dawn. I think that is very important for all of us to keep in mind. When we are facing struggles or we can't seem to have anything go our way, we have to keep faith and keep pushing forward. We have to believe that the light will come, and we will be all the more stronger for having faced the dark.
ReplyDeleteI was reading a different reflection the other day, and it said "Love always requires sacrifice." That reflection made me take a look in the mirror so to speak. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son for his love of God. God DID sacrifice his only son because of his love for us. What do I sacrifice for love of my family and friends? What do I sacrifice for love of God, or better yet - what am I willing to sacrifice in order to deepen my relationship with God?
While we should always be trying to reflect upon ourselves, I like that the season of Lent gives extra emphasis to making ourselves better. I learn to more readily point the finger at myself instead of looking else where.