For Lent Only  

 Our Icy Hearts 

Walks with you through the 40 days of Lent.  

E-Mail arrives Thursdays and Sundays.  

Some of us imagine our "dream house".  Some of us get our dream house and some of us don't. And even if we do get our dream house, we, almost immediately begin to see its faults/ or down sides. And our hearts grow a little cold.

Some of us imagine our "dream spouse or career".  And some of us get our dream spouse or career and some of us don't. And even if we do get our "dream come true", we almost immediately begin to see his/her faults or their down sides, or the job's limitations.  And our hearts grow a little cold.

Some of us imagine a just and fair world, an absence of poverty, good will to all, and the dignity of all persons honored.  Have you ever met anyone who has lived in such a world?  We are so often disillusioned with a politician, someone we looked up to, or a parent, a religious, or someone who promised to be faithful to us. Whom can we trust?   And our hearts grow colder.

 Yes, one thing we can say for sure, is that all of us are disappointed with some aspect of life.   And when that happens, ice begins to form around our hearts.   We begin complaining, finding fault, looking at people as though they are our enemy (even in our own home), despairing and harboring grudges. We take on a certain "coldness" in our tone of voice and abrupt responses.  Our tears and sobs express our wanting to be loved or to be noticed, or to be wanted or to be healthy again. They express our hopelessness.

We forget that the "perfect" in our dreams is really the hunger for the "perfect" that God himself has placed in our hearts, deep down inside of all of us.   He is the" perfect love", God Himself.  We yearn for Him but sometimes demand instead that our friends, our children, our husbands, our bosses be that perfect love.  He is the "perfect understanding" that we crave; The"perfect justice" that we seek, who will take away our pain that is left over from betrayal and abandonment;  and He is the" perfect peace" in the circumstances of our life and relationships.

The more we allow ourselves to draw closer to God, the Perfect One,  the more we move forward towards our true hearts desires.  A desire for God won't disappoint us.  He is, (as my brother wrote in his book), the"Fulfillment of all of our Desires".    How can that satisfy us?  It's a beautiful mystery that can't be found in science books, but only in the heart of man, a heart that has the gift of faith.

When our hearts are iced over, and they move closer to the heart of God, the warmth of His love will melt the layers of ice, and the softness will begin to return.  We can begin looking at the very imperfect ones in our lives and begin to see the beauty that God sees in them.  And we can laugh again and be lighthearted.  We can make the world truly more just, more peaceful and friendly.If our careers are too demanding, we begin seeing ways to change our circumstances; If our husbands are too silent, we begin to learn their language of love; if our houses are too small, or maybe even are crumbling apart, we can find joy in stretching our legs outside in our gardens or at the nursing home visiting those that no longer have a home or a garden or legs.

Oh, Let that ice melt in your heart this Lent! Live as though  there is only One God.  Let the others in your life be human.  The more you love the truly human imperfect being in your life, just as they are,  the more God-like they will become. They will draw closer to God through your warm heart that you have allowed God to capture, and you will help melt their icy hearts.

OH, Happy Lent!