Take a deep breath…….. well, that is what I tell myself today. As I began to absorb myself in the story of Jesus and the cross. I can feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit to allow myself to get lost in the story and let all the soberness and the quiet to come and settle in.
I recently had a conversation with my husband, Jonas, about my thoughts on Holy Week. I am pretty sure I gave him much more than he wanted. He wanted the short version rather than the long version, HA. Well, I just couldn’t express the deep feeling of importance in me in just 3 sentences.
Over these last 6 to 7 years, I have felt the Lord drawing my attention the days leading up to Holy Week and calling me to slow down, dive into the stories of Jesus and pay close attention. I can feel it in my chest, the tension and the importance of these days. It’s like the Lord is gripping me and saying “Don’t miss it, lean in.” I said to Jonas, that to me, Holy Week is the biggest and most important week of all the year. Yes, I am a huge fan of holidays, birthdays, and gatherings for celebrations, but there is just something about this week for me. It’s the pausing of my life, my desires, and needs, my attention for the sake of His story and what He did for me and for this world. The death and resurrection of Jesus is everything of our faith and if there is one week out of my whole year, its this week that I want to be fully reminded and fully attentive to the Holy Spirit and his revealing of truth.
As I was praying today the Lord highlighted this scripture.
James 4:7-10
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Come close to God and God will come close to you. That is my word for today. Choosing to draw close and allowing my free time, my conversations with others, my moments of thoughts to be surround by His story and His voice. Yes, this can come across as yes peasy, but its not my friends. I am choosing to do the difficult in the midst of my busyness to lean in and focus in. I encourage you, wherever you are to pause and lean in to the scriptures; the story of Jesus leading to the cross and resurrection.
Don’t put it off, not these next couple of days, I tell myself. Because if not, I will miss it.
The lovely dandelion 