Dear Everyone,
Peace be with you all. I wish a blessed Ash Wednesday to everyone who is celebrating. Today, I’m beginning to read Sister Wendy Beckett’s work, “The Art of Lent.” I invite everyone, of all traditions, to join me in reading this book.
Take a moment and examine the first painting chosen by Sister Wendy – “The Great Wave” by Katsushika Hokusai. It’s a beautiful painting but it’s frightening. Spend some time taking a closer look at the details of the painting – the ships, the people, the flecks of foam on the wave …
Then take some time to read and reflect on Sister Wendy’s commentary.
“What we can do, we do. Beyond that, we endure.”
Sister Wendy quotes a Scripture, Romans 8:38-39, reminding us that “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The waves may be high, our ship may be fragile, but we are not alone and we are loved. This is a profound thought we can carry with us through the waves and over them.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I welcome your comments below. I shall probably post once or twice per week, but feel free to comment on any of the readings this week below.
Thank you for reading and Peace be with you all,
SR
I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. {
Thank you for this SR. I am looking forward to the readings. And discussing on April 1st on All Things SR.
Thank you for this SR. I am looking forward to the readings. And discussing on April 1st on All Things SR.
I’ve been reflecting on this all day, this first picture really hits home with what is going on in my life. I still don’t know if I can correctly explain or express my thoughts. The waves make me feel anxious because they represent situations you can’t control & the harder you try you put expectations on yourself that are not realistic. When the waves come crashing down around you you feel inadequate & you have failed. We must not forget when we feel at our lowest that no matter what we are loved, we just need to reach out…….I could be totally off 🤷🏻♀️
Dear Karen,
You recognize your failure, your anxiety. It is important that you live by your principles and don’t let other’s expectations dictate your own expectations on yourself. I know it’s difficult to see your own worth with your own eyes. Wave’s comeback many times in one’s life and we fail. The most powerful thing is that we have the strength of starting again. Just like a Phoenix reborn from the ashes.
Hugs🌷
LadyJ
I look forward to these daily readings and the art.
Thank you so much SR, for caring so deeply about your readers and their souls… The first time I saw this painting, a Bible story came to my mind, in which Jesus gets into a boat with his disciples, and soon afterwards a storm rises. Even though He is with them – asleep in the back of the boat – the disciples are desperate… This scene clearly shows that the living presence of God in our lives does not exclude desperate circumstances or even life-threatening situations. Sometimes the storm of temptations strikes our souls, at other times the storm of sickness, disappointment or sadness threatens us. Difficulties are part of every human life. But how encouraging and comforting to know that He is in the boat. He is with us in the midst of our greatest storms, because He loves us and would not leave us for a moment. All we have to do is cry out to Him. One of my favorite poems is “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson, which is about these difficult times.
I have a blanket with the “Footprints in the Sand” poem on it. (:
That’s great Kenzie! 🙂