Daily Bread February 19

Blessings of Promise
Carla Long, Latter Day Seeker Minister


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  -Romans 15:13

I am an extrovert by nature. In fact, I had to take some personality tests for a job that I was interviewing for, and the interviewer came back to me and said that my extrovertness was higher than anyone she had ever encountered. If I am by myself for too long, I become just a lump on the couch. I can barely move because I get so much of my energy from other people.

So, needless to say, 2020 was a difficult year for me. We had a newborn baby; and since I was the source of all of his nutrition, I knew that I had to keep myself safe for him. We started sheltering in place on Thursday, March 12, and I remember thinking, “Oh, my goodness! It’s going to be a LOOOOONG weekend if we can’t go anywhere.” And then that weekend stretched and stretched and stretched into the rest of the year, and more.

Since I couldn’t be with the people that I loved-my extended family, my congregation, my friends-I knew that I needed to be more in tune with God and with my body. I needed to listen to both if I was going to make it through this time of social distancing. I made myself a promise that every time someone entered my mind and my heart, I was going to reach out. I was going to, if nothing else, message them and let them know that I was holding space for them.

I cannot tell you how many times that promise blessed me. It would be almost impossible to keep up with everyone in my congregation, even though, as a pastor, I feel that deeply. So, it was freeing to take that off myself and trust that God knows more than I do. My job is to be open and to believe that “opportunities abound in our daily lives if we choose to see them” even when we don’t see anyone but our immediate family.

May God continue to work in and through us in whatever ways we allow God to do.

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Spiritual Practice

Gospel Contemplation (Matthew 4:1-11)

Each week during Lent, you are invited to pray with a different gospel story from the life of Christ. Use your senses and imagination to enter the text. Allow it to come to life in you, observing details, noticing interactions, even engaging in dialogue. Notice where you find yourself in the story and how you feel about what is happening. Notice what it evokes in you or invites of you. Take time to journal or enter silent prayer to reflect on your experience and to sense where the Spirit may be leading you through this scriptural encounter.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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