It was December 31st, 1999 and millions of people watched intently as clocks around the globe began to turn from the last seconds of the 1900’s to the futuristic 2000s. News reports were full of conflicting information regarding the ability of computers everywhere to handle the transition from 1999 to 2000, which sounds so ridiculous today, (and maybe was a little even then.) But the fear was that cash registers, personal computers, ATMs, air traffic control….anything that had a motherboard and mainframe (for the record I don’t know what those things really are…) would freak out and start spewing nonsense as the world stopped in its tracks because we had become so fully dependent on this “new” technology.

I’d say on the continuum between apathy and full out panic, we were definitely on the front end. But just to be on the safe side, I did have a Y2K pantry stocked with extra food, water, batteries and other essentials that would potentially be in short supply after the proposed apocalypse took effect!

But when midnight rolled around and time slid from one century into the next, well…..let’s just say we were eating rice and beans for a very long time!

Today was also a day of preparation, but thankfully not of the apocalyptic variety. =) My morning was spent being trained to facilitate pre-marital counseling, then I switched hats to help provide training to a different group of wonderful people learning to serve as peer counselors. I loved and learned from both groups, and though they were different, what they had in common was people who were willing to invest their time and their hearts in learning ways to tangibly, responsibly and lovingly serve others. It reminded me of how fulfilling it is to walk through the doors God opens, even when we don’t really know what’s on the other side….

I guess what’s on my heart at the end of this full and good day is that it takes preparation to step into the things God has for us, even when we can’t see what “it” is yet. God seeks to use us every single day, and we prepare ourselves by choosing to follow, praying for guidance, being grounded in scripture and getting to know Jesus better each day as he transforms our hearts to be more like his.

The season of Lent is all about preparation. Daily, we take time to think about how God loves us, reflect on the sacrificial life of Jesus and what we re going to do with all that. Some days it can honestly feel like spiritual trudging, but it’s exactly in those places that our faith grows deepest.

I’m so thankful Jesus prepared the way for our salvation! It didn’t just happen on a whim or because he happened to be at the right place and time. It was the plan all along….he chose to lay down his life for ours, because he loves us that much – let’s let that settle in deep on Day 28….

Much Love,

Shellie