For a few days I’ve been driving my power chair with an error message flashing on the monitor of my joy stick control box. It’s a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. The error message says “bad cable”.
I had my assistant check out the cables and wires for a loose connection but she couldn’t find any. My power chair is my main source of transportation and it’s hard for me to use a manual chair on my own. I’ve called the wheelchair repair service and am waiting for a call back.
I decided to proceed with my daily activities, attend meetings, go grocery shopping, etc. It’s always on the back of my mind and I’m conscious of the fact that my chair could malfunction at any time but I continue to proceed with life.
What does this have to do with Lent?
I believe one of the purposes of Lent is to evaluate our relationship with the Lord. To find out if we have any loose connections. To fine tune our listening skills or to ask God to help us connect with Him on another level.
In life we continue to function, continue with our jobs, our families, sports, activities and maybe some of us attend church, yet sometimes there is a nagging feeling that something is missing or we desire more time with God, more intimacy. To hear Him clearly. We have an internal error message that we tend to ignore or put on hold.
Unlike the situation with my power chair where I need to wait for a repairman, we don’t need to wait with our internal error message. God is present all the time. He is waiting for us to invite Him in to help tidy up the loose connections. To affirm His love and to pour out His grace.