Saturday, March 3, 2012

Dark Nights and Dry Days of the Soul

It happens to all of us at one time or another.  It usually happens to me about this time of year.  I'm longing for the warmth of spring and for the magnolias to bloom.  I want the plastic off the windows and the windows open.  Fresh air . . . what a concept.  I want my coat put away for another season and spring colors in my wardrobe.

What I really long for, though, is a closer relationship with the Lord.  But I feel withered, like the grass and barren, like the trees.  I want new life running through my veins.

Lent is a struggle for me.  I look forward to it with eager anticipation and then find that the fasting and the hum drum days don't really mesh well and they bring me to a dark place.  I alway wonder, "why did I want it to be Lent?"

My prayers seem more forced, my fasting is done in a less than "do not let anyone know you are fasting" mode and my energy seems sapped.  I find myself sitting more and doing less.

Of course Lent brings us to Easter and usually with Easter comes spring warmth and all the other things mentioned above.

So I hang on to the promise of the Resurrection and know that the darkness will not last forever.  And even in the dark, I know the Lord is there cheering me on through Lent to the beauty of another springtime!

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