Ash Wednesday

Lent begins this Wednesday. We've never followed any strict observances, but this year I feel convicted to consciously set aside this time for God.

During the forty days of Lent, we're asked to draw closer to Christ. Remembering Jesus' forty days in the wilderness, we give up something or add a discipline that helps us walk through this life with a sense of purpose.

-- Melissa Browning, Journey to the Cross: A Daily Online Lenten Devotional Guide

It's exciting and daunting, as it often is in obedience to God, and in trusting in His calling and His promises. :)

Generosity

In the episode of E.R. where Mark Greene dies, his parting words to his daughter, Rachel, are: "Be generous. Always." I guess it was the way he said it -- as if it was the single most important thing in the world -- that etched the scene in my mind, and in the years that have followed, I have realised the wisdom in those words.

I have seen the difference that generosity makes -- generosity that gives without expectation, generosity that defies logic: extending forgiveness before an apology is offered, offering a listening ear in spite of a toppling workload, lending unsolicited help or act of kindness... I have been blessed at having received them, and I hope that, in time, I will learn to bless others more. Always.

It seems silly to find gems in a TV show, but it would be foolish to think that God can't use anything to speak to us.

***

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

-- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV)