Blog

[Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.] (Joel. 2:12-13)

As always, we start the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday, and today the prophet Joel announces that today marks the beginning of a fast.  This fast though, is not about a mere fast, but this fast is a journey of our heart.  Our fast must have a direction to it.  It must lead somewhere.  The fast that the prophet Joel calls for should lead us back to God.

The Church encourages us to begin our heart’s journey back to God today.  We are asked to engage in forms of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during this season.  However, Lent is not primarily about the disciplines we choose, but the journey of our heart back to God.

To begin our journey we must first honestly admit where our heart is in relation to God.
Where is my heart right now?
What do I love or value more than God?
What disciplines will I engage in to prompt my heart to make its journey back to God?