The Need for Renewal

Wednesday Wisdom. Renewal Is Essential. 

Last Saturday, I found myself feeling unsettled within, and I walked into my church to have a quiet moment to center myself. Fortunately, I bumped into Father Joe, a very casual and caring priest that is always friendly. We sat together, and I began expressing how overwhelmed I was feeling, with grief, with exhaustion, with responding to all the demands in my life. He listened patiently, and then he said: Can Lent be a time to renew God’s love for you?

I paused, and I realized that Lent is a time of renewal, and spring is a time of renewal, and here we are with daffodils and cherry blossoms in bloom, and the generosity of Creation pouring itself out.

Can this season be a time of renewal? I invite you to pray and ponder that question. I invite you to ask yourself: How do I need to renew myself?

One way for me to renew myself right now is to appreciate myself more, and to surrender more into the life I am actually living.  I’ve written an entire book on the subject of surrender, and one thing I learned was that we are always surrendering, and by surrendering we open ourselves more to the life and love that wants to be lived through us.

Renewal for me means to trust: trust the unfolding of my life in Divine will and love, and to be a sincere partner with the generosity of Creation. Surrender happens in increments and in layers, and with my mother’s death, I hear an invitation to go deeper and to trust.

Pause and Pray:

• Take a few deep breaths.
• Open Your Heart.
• Ask the Divine: How can I renew myself in Your love?