Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Humble

Humble

Be it ever so humble, with a frayed and dirty doormat and a scuffed lintel, there's no place like home. Lord, I am humbled by your love and the gifts you have given me. Thank you.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Observe

Observe

Olivia is very pleased with herself. She has found the perfect vantage point to sei and observe the entire family room and kitchen. Lord, I often find myself observing the world from a similar vantage point--removed, separate, and very slightly smug. Give me the courage to act rather than merely observe. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Bind

Bind

The cord that binds this rolled-up futon secures and supports it for storage. Binding is often seen as a negative--tethering something that should be freed. But binding can be positive as well, acting as a connection and support. Lord, I am grateful to be bound to you through love.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Temptation

Temptation

Like my cat, I'm often tempted most by what I shouldn't have. Charlie is tempted by the possibility of catching a poor bird as it tries to get a meal, even though he knows I'll swat him if he tries. I'm tempted by sweet foods, sloth, greed...all the things that I know will hurt me down the road. Lord, help me to stand strong against my temptations.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Glorify

Glorify

Light signals glory to me. Lord, let me glorify your name, and appreciate the glories you have created for us here on earth. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Worry

Worry

Worry is so isolating. We think we stand alone, and fear that a wrong choice, or fate, or sheer bad luck will lead us to disaster. Lord, help me recognize that I am never alone--that you are always with me and that I can depend on you for support through the worst of times. 

Lent 2018 Photo A Day: Desire

Desire

It's really rather cruel of the bird to peer in the window at my twitching, transfixed cat. She wants to catch that bird so badly! Lord, I pray that I learn to crave the things that will nurture my spirit instead of those that corrupt it. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Idol

Idol

As income inequality grows in our country, money tightens its hold over us. Money is our idol--we crave it, we covet it, we do things we don't enjoy to get it and keep it. Lord, help us to recognize that money is a false god, and that only you can give us what we truly need. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Recover

Recover

I found this dragonfly clinging to my kitchen window screen one chilly morning. He was cold and sluggish, waiting for the sun's rays to warm the air and his body enough that he could take flight and find food. He needed the sun's warmth to recover, just we need God's loving warmth for our spirits to recover. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Rest

Rest

Rest allow us to recharge so that we can rise, energized, to tackle the day. Lord, give the tired and spiritually exhausted the rest they desperately need.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Sunday

Sunday

I was surprised that "Sunday" was the Lenten photo assignment for Monday, but I realized this is a great reminder that we ought to carry the lessons of Sunday right through the coming week. Faith shouldn't be a relic only taken out on Sundays, but should be with us each and every day.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Save

Save

Piggy banks. Saving one penny at a time. It takes patience and dedication to save. Lord, thank you for the sacrifice you made to save us, for it took more than patience and dedication--it took the kind of love I cannot even fathom. 

Lent 2018 Photo A Day: Honor

Honor

We honor the dead with flags and flowers on their graves. But I need to honor the people in my life who are still with me, and not wait until they are gone. And I need to honor you, Lord, for your love and grace.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Remind

Remind

I use so many tools to remind myself--of appointments, chores, groceries to buy, phone numbers to call. But what I really need to remember never makes it to my lists or calendars: to take time each day to talk to you, Lord.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Apart

Apart

This lone caterpillar crawling through the sand, far from food or fellow caterpillars, evokes a sense of loneliness and separation. Lord, help me to reach out to others instead of holding myself apart.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Eat

Eat

Food porn. Everyone like to post photos of their special meals on social media for others to drool over. But eating shouldn't be a competition. Lord, I will try to see eating as a way to nourish my body, not as a source of envy. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Rivalry

Rivalry

Our cats like to pretend they don't see each other--they will sit, mere inches apart, and act like they are alone. They are rivals--for food, attention, and the back of the couch. Lord, keep me from pretending not to see others' pain. Help me work with others instead of against them, to see them as partners in life, not rivals. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Shame

Shame

Stepping on a scale brings me shame. I hate to face this evidence of my unhealthy choices. Lord, give me strength to make changes in my life that will turn my shame to pride.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Raise

Raise

I raise my eyes to follow the contrails that trace the trajectories  of jets high above the earth. So many ways to raise--eyes, planes, and perhaps best of all, spirits. The white against the blue sky delights me. Lord, let me raise the spirits of others around me.

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Justice

Justice

This photo may seem a cryptic way to depict "justice". When I look at it, I recognize that all that is beautiful will inevitably decay. All earthly things eventually return to the dust from which they came. This is an earthly justice: the laws of the natural world asserting themselves. Lord, grant us your mercy rather than the justice which we all deserve. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Secretive

Secretive

This little cat loves to lurk among the leaves and branches to watch the people and dogs walking past on the sidewalk below. Lord, my secrets are just as evident to you as the cat is to me. Grant me the strength and wisdom to fix what I fear in my life rather than try to hide it. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Anger

Anger

Our cats look and sound ridiculous when they fight--all puffed up and hunched over, growling and yowling. Lord, help me realize my own anger is equally ridiculous. Help me channel my feelings productively and positively. 

Lent 2018 Photo a Day: Abundant

Abundance

My fruit trees have started to bloom. Right now, their abundance is more potential than reality, but they are providing an abundance of beauty this spring. Lord, thank you for the abundant blessings you have given me. Please help me to recognize and appreciate how much I have right now and stop worrying about what I lack and or what I want in the future.