Two days....

      This past Tuesday was the last day of Mardi Gras, which literally means Fat Tuesday. At our house, we celebrate Fat Tuesday with pancakes and bacon.  I serve our meal on my fancy plate.

Some years I make cupcakes that are reminiscent of a king cake, complete with a plastic baby hidden in one of the cupcakes. That's all that we do to celebrate this festival of gluttony. It's the last hurrah before the fasting and sacrifice of Lent. It's silly and a something that we have done for years in our family. It has no deep meaning attached to it, just something fun for my family.

     And then comes Wednesday...Ash Wednesday, otherwise known as the first day of Lent. Lent commemorates the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert. It leads us to the celebration of Easter. When D was young, they would often tell me that there was good news and bad news about Easter. The bad news was that Jesus died, but the good news was that He came back to life. I remember the look of joy when D told me that story. Until Easter Sunday, Lent is a time of reflection and sacrifice. Some people give up things like soda...I've done that and then I go right back to drinking it again when the season is over. Other people add in extra Bible study for the season. I have tried that, but I struggle to do my regular devotions...adding in more would just overwhelm me. This year I am being called to do something completely out of my wheelhouse....

     I was having a conversation with some friends the other day about how they are feeling as if they can't focus. They feel that they are being pulled in so many directions and are struggling to get things accomplished. That same day, I had a conversation with another group of friends. They are just struggling to feel anything at all. Or they are overcome with emotions...sadness, despair, exhaustion. I talked with another friend who is having parenting struggles. I have been in all of those situations at one time or another, but right now, I feel that I am in a pretty good place (yes, I know, that could change at any moment). 

     One of the groups I was with prayed together. It was a strong prayer and many of us were moved to tears. I was teary, I had goosebumps, but I also felt the Holy Spirit with us in that room. After that meeting, I went to our chapel. My pastor prayed as he put ashes on my forehead in the shape of a cross. Again, I felt the Holy Spirit with me. An idea began to form in my heart, before I could give it words. And by this morning, I had words for that idea that the Holy Spirit planted in me. 

I am being called to pray for my friends specifically this season. I pray for them always, but I am feeling strongly that I need to be praying extra...I don't know why I am being called to this. I don't know what I need to be praying for, but He knows. I am not a warrior when it comes to prayer, but I am going to become one during this Lenton season. I hope to get up just a little earlier and spend focused time...time when I lift up my friends. 

Two days....so completely different. A day that celebrates gluttony, parties, and revelry. And a day that starts down a path that while somber, leads us to the best day ever. And while we are going down that path, I will be praying...praying for my family and friends, for our country, for the world. And if you need prayer, send me a message so that I can lift you as well.