(Original Post 3/28/2019 – Updated 3/11/2021)

It’s tax time at the Warren’s, which traditionally means a week’s worth of paper-strewn evenings or a full-blown mega weekend of number-crunching. With weekends being full of late, I began the process of ferreting out receipts and gathering tax documents on Monday evening, but by Wednesday night I felt like I had hardly made a dent. Since a Friday appointment with our long-suffering CPA was looming on the horizon, I hunkered down and was finally “in the zone”, really making headway when I looked at the time and saw it was 9:30. I still hadn’t written anything for Day 19, and promised myself I could do it in an hour. “Keep it short!” I said to myself. All I really needed to do was just gather a thought or two, find a song, choose some pictures, hit publish and get back into my tax zone. Easy peasy….I’ve got this!

So, the process went something like this…

9:30 – Sit at desk and fire up computer
9:32 – Begin to pray about what to write
9:35 – Remember the flowering tree and thank God…think I can write it up pretty easily
9:35 – Commence with writing
10:00 – Still writing….
10:15 – Still hopeful to finish in an hour
10:25 – Still writing….deleting….writing
10:47 – Still writing….feeling disappointed it’s taking so long
10:50 – Finally breathe deeply and let go of the time
10:55 – Re-read and change some things to be more authentically true for me
10:58 – Thank God for reminding me that this is our time together during Lent
10:59 – Find the perfect song in short order
11:10 – Select images and insert
11:21 – Re-read and edit, feeling so grateful that God showed me this important lesson
11:26 – Publish

I looked at the clock and just for a moment considered going downstairs to try to find a few more deductions, but  decided sleep would serve me better. As I crawled into bed, before engaging my “head voice” over my out loud voice, I heard myself say with a sigh, “This Lent thing is hard!!”, to which my husband replied, “Don’t you think maybe that’s the idea?” 

I made some feeble attempt at a joke about how even Jesus wouldn’t look forward to doing his taxes, while trying to fulfill a promise he had made to his father, but I knew that wasn’t the point.

People observe the season of Lent for many different reasons and in many different ways. I won’t try to list them all, because I couldn’t if I tried, but really, the only thing that matters is what I feel God has asked me to do, which is spend time with Him each day for 40 days and allow Him to speak words of truth to my heart and, in turn, share them with yours.

However one observes it, the Lenten season is a time to reflect on the life and sacrifice of Jesus and what our response will be as we prepare for Easter.

The 40 days that Jesus spent during his wilderness experience weren’t easy – in fact scripture paints an undeniably tortured and grim ordeal. But even Jesus had a choice…..he could have quit. He could have given up around Day 20, or any day before that. He could have called for angels to bring him food and water and get him the heck out of the desert.

But he didn’t.

He chose to stay and do the will of his father, and in so doing, showed us how to do it as well.

I love the insights that God provides from such ordinary things like balancing time and taxes, and I never want to miss a word or a moment because of my own agenda. I pray you are finding some time to hear His voice as well. =)

Does it take time? Yes.

Does it mean opening your heart to hear God’s voice? You bet.

Can that be really scary and reveal things we may not want to face but God wants to heal? Yep.

Does it bring you closer to the One who loves you unconditionally and desires you to know Him in return?

Always.

Bless you as we continue the journey together!

Shellie ♥

Called Me Higher
All Sons and Daughters

I could just sit
I could just sit and wait for all Your goodness
Hope to feel Your presence
And I could just stay
I could just stay right where I am and hope to feel You
Hope to feel something again

And I could hold on
I could hold on to who I am and never let You
Change me from the inside
And I could be safe, oh
I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home
Never let these walls down

But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
Where You lead me
Where You lead me Lord

And I could hold on
I could hold on to who I am and never let You
Change me from the inside
And I could be safe, oh
I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home
Never let these walls down

But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
Where You lead me

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life
So let your mercy

Oh, and I will be Yours, Lord
And I will be Yours for all my life
So let Your mercy light the path before me

‘Cause You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
Oh, ’cause You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
Oh, ’cause You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
Oh, ’cause You have called me higher
You have called deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord, where You lead me

Where You lead me Lord
Where You lead me
Where You lead me Lord