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Reflection:
I am the Lord who heals you.
As of the time of writing this, there have been 524,243 deaths from COVID in the United States alone. It’s hard to fathom this kind of loss and the billions of lives that have been touched and forever changed. If you are anything like me, the past year has been spiritually exhausting. In a time of such deep and profound change and loss it’s hard to see God and his plan for the world. “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight…I will not bring upon you any of the diseases I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). I almost laughed when I read this verse and realized I would be reflecting on it. This feels like a promise broken, and the bitter water made sweet a bait in this seemingly endless time of struggle. How could I sing to the Lord like Miriam when I am riddled with guilt, grief, and burden? Giving up something this Lent feels hard when we have already given up so much.
Lent is a time of reflection, of repentance, self-reflection, and of sacrifice. But it is also a season of immense hope. These 40 days feel somber and serious, and we are repeatedly asked to look inwardly and face death and our own sin. Weeks ago, we spread ash on our foreheads and heard the words “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Ash Wednesday is grief, and this Lenten season those words may have been particularly hard to hear, but it is also a reminder of the promises and joy to come. Easter is coming, the bitter water will eventually be made sweet. Lent is hope for the promises that God makes to us and the journey we make to draw closer toward God. This is a time to grieve the loss we have suffered, but also a time to hope for the world to come.
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