Lenten Belovedness

During those 40 days of preparation, [Jesus,] your soul was nourished and your belovedness deeply affirmed. You were not alone in the wilderness. With such a clear sense of belonging, you were immovable, unshakable.

Just read this in CRM's Lent Devotional (Day 4), and it struck me in a new way: what the time of preparation in Lent can be about.  Not just deprivation.  Not just clearing things out of your life.  (Those things can be vital, as well.)  But also nourishment.  A different kind of nourishment, far removed from power bars and scrambled eggs.  The nourishment of Lent is God's love.  


You and I are called to great and marvelous things.  But we are called to God first.  We are called to God's love.  We are prepared for all kinds of wonderful possibilities-- yes, through training and difficult preparation, but more directly through deep belonging in Jesus as he leads us to his Father.


May this Lenten season nourish your soul and affirm that you are God's beloved.  From there, may you find immovable, unshakeable mission.