A new season begins. It is Lent.
We are born. And the moment we are born, we leave one realm and enter another. We were conceived by the greatest Artist, God. Designed, created, and with the breath of life in us, He perfectly places us exactly where we are supposed to be.
Yet, at this moment we entered imperfection, and became needy. Needy for so many things, but more than anything else, it was the beginning of our need for Him. Our need for His grace for our souls.
Our search begins.
Is it possible we have a memory of where we came from? Is it possible our needy souls long to be seen and loved as we once were? Could it be that this is what drives our search? Our search for someone to hold us, care for us, nurture us, and grow us?
The neediness in us becomes so great that our lives can turn into broken fragments and pieces that scatter to anyone or anything that appears to have the ability to mend our souls together.
We can be stuck in this fragmented and scattered state and continue to fray around the edges, like a stylish pair of jeans. Except it’s not so stylish when our hearts sport this fashion.
But God sees us. He knows us. He sees our hearts and He is waiting for us with grace and mercy. He is always waiting for us.
Henri Nouwen beautifully describes this in his Lenten devotional, Reflections for the Days of Lent.
“…God is always looking for us, always hoping to welcome us back, always waiting to embrace us…God is indeed our father who thinks about us as beloved children. God suffers when we suffer…God cries when we move away to do our own thing and find ourselves confused and lonely. God waits for us with an endless patience, always hoping that we will return…”
God sees the torn pieces of our lives and He offers a way for us to mend. He offers Himself in human form. He pours His grace and mercy to us through Jesus.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
This is the gift we hope and long for. It is the essence of this Lenten season. Celebrating that Jesus died, once and for all to have eternal life with Him in heaven.
God has a vision for each of us. We may not always see it, or it may not make sense to us, but his handiwork has a plan and purpose.
Is it possible to relish the wonder of what He will do in us as He sees the finished piece in us? We simply need to receive.
A seamstress crafts beautiful garments with stylish materials, and a tailor creates with elegance and precision. Each uses a needle and thread to piece such creations together with thoughtfulness and attention to detail, ensuring the final piece fits in a specific way.
This Lenten season, I pray God threads the torn and scattered pieces of my life together with His goodness and grace.
His mending, His grace, is done because of His immense love for us. He sees the finished creation that He formed long ago. His vision of me, of you. Fully seen, fully loved, and fully accepted, all done by the work of His hands.
I can see His grace in my life. I can see the stitches He has used and continues to use to make me whole. The fragments are still there, but they are held together by His healing thread of love. Won’t you go to Him to receive? He is waiting for you.
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.
2 Timothy1:9
Our broken places are there, but Jesus holds them in the palms of his hands.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
Psalm73:23-26
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