His Story: People Must Know

 

Lenten Reflection #1

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”  - Luke 2:17

On Ash Wednesday I tried to think of how I can observe the Lenten season in a more meaningful way. The priest reminded us how in his homily and I mentally ticked them off with side comments:

·        Fasting – I have gastritis issues and I’m afraid this might trigger it. Besides I’m already excused due to my age

·        Abstinence – this I can do despite the age excuse: no-meat Fridays, no decadent sweets, no watching my favorite detective show and Netflix

·        Alms giving – check

·        Sacrifice – check

But early this morning during my prayer time, I felt the above just weren’t enough as I had been doing them year in and year out. I remembered that praying is not all about me asking for God’s mercies (which I admit is what usually makes up my morning prayer), but a conversation with Him, a heart-to-heart with a friend. So, I dispensed with my usual litany and asked Jesus how He was this morning, what did He do yesterday.  It felt funny at first because I really didn’t know what answer to expect. Would he say something like, “Oh, I’m kinda sad. I had to comfort the earthquake victims in Turkey.” Or “I shielded Ukraine from Russian missiles.” Or something like that.

Then, He reminded me about what friends do when they talk. They tell each other their life stories. Old friends already know each other’s life stories but many times they get to know each other more in the re-telling. Or sometimes, foggy memories just get cleared up and you remember why you connect to this person that way, why you love this friend.

That led to my Lenten Journey plan: watch His Story and reflect on bible verses. I planned to keep this a personal journey but the story I watched for today was The Chosen’s Special Episode – “The Shepherd”. It was about the shepherd who received the message of the angel about the birth of Jesus. The tagline of the story was, “People must know.” And so, I must tell people about my journey.

It’s three days into the Lenten season so I won’t be able to complete the 40 days (or God just might find a way to help me do that) but I pray it will still be a meaningful journey of getting to know my friend Jesus more. And by writing about it, pave the way for more people know Him better. To those reading this blog, please pray I will be able to complete the journey. Then join me in telling His Story.

People must know: You can talk to Jesus like a friend.